Conflicting Desires
by LunarDaffodil
Summary: IMPORTANT NOTICE! THIS STORY HAS MOVED TO www.lunardaffodil.comStories.html
1. How it all started

Conflicting Desires

By LunarDaffodil

* *Updated and Proofread: December 6th, 2003* *

A/N~ This is before the whole game started and will go through the events of the game, though altered to fit my ideas, okay? Okay, let's get started then. By the way, this is my first FF9 fic, but I have some DOTM fics. I don't own any of the characters or the actual storyline of the game, I really wish I did, but once again I'm denied what I want… For now… Muhahahahahaha!!! How it all started… 

            One month after her fifteenth birthday was when it all began. Her mom started acting so strangely. Her father had passed away a while before that, leaving it her and her mother all alone in the big castle. Not to mention Steiner and Beatrix, who couldn't stand each other. They were always competing to gain her mother's favor. It was quite annoying.

             Princess Garnet til Alexandros the 17th strolled the main terrace of the castle, Steiner keeping watch by the door making sure that no one disturbed her. _So long ago…_She thought to herself, her dark eyes scanning the land beyond the castle, where she was forbidden to travel. The breeze caught her brown hair and blew it into her face, she pushed it absentmindedly behind her ear and continued pacing.

            One month after her fifteenth birthday was when he first showed up. He was so… enchanting… with his silver hair and clear blue eyes. His dress was something that her mother would find inappropriate for the royal court, yet for some reason she allowed him to hang around. Though at the big royal functions he did dress quite differently than usual. And when he was trying to impress her, which he did so magically. She couldn't explain it…

            Things had changed so much since then. Her mother had changed somehow. She acted so strangely. And there was a feeling deep down in her soul that soon her life would be changed in a big way, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She stopped pacing and walked to the edge of the terrace. Placing her hands on the railing she leaned against it and raised her head so that she looked to the sky. She closed her eyes and let the warm sunshine fall upon her face.

            She sighed softly, still deep in thought about the silver haired man. He was different from the other people in the court. They all seemed afraid of her mother, and in awe of her, but he… He seemed so free-spirited when dealing with her mother, as if he was in control, not her.

            She jumped as arms slid around her waist, ripping her from her thoughts. Steiner wouldn't dare touch her, and she had told him not to let anyone disturb her. She turned to come face to face with the very man her mind had been analyzing.

            "Kuja…" she said softly, "How did you get past Steiner? I told him not to let anyone pass."

            "I told him that I had urgent business to discuss with you, and that your mother said that it couldn't wait," he said, his compelling smile coming over his face, "I knew you wouldn't mind."

            For some reason she didn't. When he held her the way he did, nothing else mattered to her. She placed his arms around his neck and held him tightly, enjoying the sensations that ran through her body.

            She smiled gently, "You make it seem as if I can't resist you."

            "Maybe you can't," he said quietly, yet with a firmness that she didn't catch, she was too caught up in his eyes. His dipped his head and pressed his lips lightly against hers.

            The tender touch was electric, sending cravings and emotions she had never known existed from her chest to the tips of her fingers and toes. She had never been kissed before, never been as close to a man as she was now. Somehow she knew that if it had been anyone else, it wouldn't have felt this good. There was something about Kuja that she had never seen or felt before, and she liked what she felt.

            His tongue brushed against her lips and into her mouth, bringing forth a small gasp from her as it found hers. It felt weird and yet so right at the same time. This was a new experience for her. She couldn't help the tremble that overtook her body. When he felt this he pulled back, gazed into her eyes and smiled. She felt cheated out of the cravings that she was just beginning to experience, yet she was also a little scared at the extent of them.

            "Relax," he said soothingly. "I would never, ever hurt you."

            "I know," she replied, trying to brush it off at nothing. She wanted to feel his lips on hers again. Somehow he could read it in her eyes. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers again, and the delicious cravings were back. This time she was ready for them and able to respond to him. It all felt so… right…

***

            "I have what you want. The most powerful weapons you can come across," he said, standing in front of her, staring at the ground so he wouldn't have to look at her ugly face.

"I know you have a price, so name it," she said, the authority in her voice sickened him.

            He bowed mockingly, he couldn't wait until this was all done and over with so that he wouldn't have to look at her irritatingly cow-ish figure anymore, "The canary."

            She considered this for a moment; after all she was the only family she had left. But the compelling need for power was too much for her, "Of course."

            He smiled, his plan going into motion.

***

It was well after dinner when she started getting ready. The sun was starting to go down, sending orange and red light through the window. Before he had left her on the terrace Kuja had asked her to meet him in the gardens by the fountain.

There was a knock on the door. She set down her brush and turned from the mirror to face the door.

"Come in…" She said, annoyed at the delay. She wanted to finish getting ready to go meet Kuja.

            To her surprise her mother walked in, followed by Beatrix.

            "Mother?" She couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.

            Her mother gave her a disapproving look; "Don't look so surprised to see me in here."

            "I'm not," she lied quickly. Her mother hadn't been in her room since her father died. In fact, after her father died her mother wanted very little to do with her.

            Her mother just shot her another look, "I just came up to tell you that tomorrow there will be a ball, and that is where I'm going to decide who you will marry."

            "Marry? But I'm only seventeen!" she cried, her head spinning. She wasn't ready to get married!

            "Exactly, it's time for you be thinking about getting married."

            "But I'm not ready to get married!" she protested.

            "It's not about whether or not you are ready for marriage. It's about the future of our kingdom, Garnet."

            She hung her head. If her mother chose Kuja it wouldn't be so bad, but the chances of that were unlikely. Kuja didn't seem like the type of guy that her mother would choose as her consort. Seeing that her daughter had given in to the inevitable, Queen Brahne spun around and left the room. Beatrix looked at the princess sadly for a moment and followed.


	2. A meeting in the Garden

A meeting in the Garden 

            Garnet turned the last corner of the hedge maze. A huge fountain with a statue of a Pegasus in the center with jets of water shooting from the base took up the middle of the clearing. Kuja sat on the side, the moonlight made his silver hair glow brightly. He was staring at her as if he had never seen anything like her before.

            She walked over and sat down beside him. He hadn't taken his eyes off her. As soon as she sat down he placed his arm around her waist and kissed her with such tenderness it left her breathless. When he pulled away she stared at him in surprise.

            "When I saw you come around that corner, I thought I was seeing an angel," he said, kissing her again.

            She didn't know what to say, she was so caught up in the way he was looking at her and the way he was making her feel. She wanted him to do more than just kiss her… she wanted…

            "PRINCESS!!" A voice cried.

            Garnet and Kuja jumped apart and looked at the opening of the clearing. Steiner stood there with an astonished look on his face.

            "What is going on here? You are supposed to be in your room!" he cried, rushing forward, then his eyes fell upon Kuja, "You snuck out to see him!?"

            "Yes, Steiner, I did," she said calmly, as if it were a regular occurrence.

            "But…. Why?" Steiner said, then turned on Kuja.

            "How dare you! When her Majesty the Queen hears about this you will be sent to the dungeon! How dare you try to seduce the Princess!!" Steiner yelled, jumping up in down in anger.

            Kuja merely looked at him as if he could care less. This caused Steiner to get even angrier.

            "What is all this yelling about?" Another voice said before Garnet could defend herself and Kuja. Beatrix entered the maze and looked at Garnet and Kuja in surprise.

            "That man is trying to seduce the princess!" Steiner accused.

            "He is not!" Garnet cried.

            Beatrix looked at her and then grabbed Steiner's arm, "Come, let's leave them alone."

            "But I can't let this happen! He's trying to seduce her! What will the Queen say? He's turning the Princess into a whore!" Steiner cried as she pulled him away. After a moment his protests couldn't be heard.

            Garnet sat back down, her face burning and buried her face in her hands.

            "Sometimes I can't stand having him as my body guard." She said, shaking her head.

            "Don't worry about it. Forget about him. Let's have this night for us," he said, placing a finger under her chin and lifting her face until their eyes locked. Then he bent his head down so their foreheads touched. For a moment they just sat there, not taking their eyes off each other, then he pressed his lips against hers.

            His kisses were like magic. They lit a fire in her body that both excited and scared her. His hands began to wander up her back to her shoulders. She groaned from the pure pleasure of it all. She was so content when his arms around her. She felt as though nothing could ever harm her there. And she loved the way he touched her in ways that no other man ever would. She knew then that no matter what, she had to make her mother decide to let her marry Kuja.

            It was then that he decided to pull back. She stared at him in surprise.

            "We shouldn't be doing this. Not yet," he said, moving away from her.

            "Why?" she asked, feeling both disappointed and dumb.

            He looked at the ground, "You are the Princess of Alexandria, and I am not even a noble—," he started, but she interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips.

            "I don't care about that. Kuja, I care about you, your rank doesn't concern me. How you make me feel is what matters," she said.

            He looked into her eyes and smiled; she could feel herself getting lost in his eyes again. He pulled her close and kissed her again, his hands cupping her breasts. She gasped at the sudden pleasure that shot through her. He made her feel good, like she was the only person in his world that mattered. For a long while she lost herself in the way his lips wandered along her jaw to her neck and ear.

            Finally she pulled back, she knew that she wasn't ready for everything he wanted to give.

            "Steiner will throw a fit if I don't get back," she said, biting her lip at the lie. She knew Beatrix would keep him away from the hedge maze. The truth was she was scared of the powerful emotions he made her feel. She had never experienced anything like it before, but she knew that it would not be the last time she and Kuja had an intimate encounter.

            Kuja lifted his hand and ran his fingertips across her jawbone. She nearly weakened and stayed, but she knew she had to get away before she did something she regretted.

            "I will dream of you tonight, my beautiful canary," he said gently.

            "And I will dream of you," she replied, a smile bright on her face. She leaned down and gave him one last kiss, then left the garden.

***

            She had trouble sleeping that night. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Kuja. She loved the way he made her feel, the ecstasy of being in his embraced flared at the memory of it.

            And yet something was troubling her, she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. It had something to do with what she was thinking about on the terrace; only she couldn't remember quite what it was. It was more of a strange feeling than anything else.

            Then her thoughts drifted towards her mother. Why was her mom so anxious to marry her off? She was still young, not old enough to worry about Garnet producing an heir. Many of her mother's recent actions were in question as far as Garnet was concerned. Something about her mother had changed after her father died, but she couldn't put her finger on that either.

            The mere knowledge that she couldn't tell what was wrong with her mother, or even what that feeling was, frustrated her. She hated not knowing, and yet she was laying here awake because she didn't know what was bothering her. Finally she sighed, rolled over, and fell asleep.


	3. The Preparations

The Preparations 

            Garnet sat on the stool in front of the mirror; her bath maid Mindy was pulling her hair into a bun so that it would be out of the way until they washed it. Mindy was asking her about Kuja, she knew that the rumor about the whole garden thing would be running through the servants, since Steiner was screaming about it last night. Everyone in the village would know about it by tonight.

            She was just about to follow Mindy into the bathroom when someone knocked on the door. She pulled her crimson robe closed. It was probably Steiner coming to lecture her about her intimate encounters with Kuja. "Come in."

            The door opened and Kuja entered. Garnet was shocked, but she shooed Mindy out anyway. Before she left she tossed them a funny look.

            "I wanted to talk to you about the ball tonight," he said.

            Garnet walked up to him and placed her finger on his lips to silence him. He smiled, took the invitation, and kissed her. Sweet sensations ran through her body. No matter how many times he kissed her she couldn't get enough of him.

            He pulled on the ties to her robe and slipped it off her shoulders. It fell around her ankles, leaving her in only her white silk nightgown. She pulled back and grabbed his hands, leading him toward the bed.

            He gripped the hem of her nightgown and pulled it over her head, leaving her exposed to his wandering eye, and yet she didn't care. His hands wandered along her naked flesh, burning trails of pleasure into her skin. She wanted him… she needed him… and she didn't care what anyone thought of her. She didn't care that she was a princess and that she was supposed to be perfect. This was about her this time, not the good of her kingdom, or what her mother would think.

            He helped her remove his clothes, leaving him just as exposed as she was. Garnet blinked in surprise at the size of him. She had never seen the male body before. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but whatever it was, that wasn't what she saw. He laughed at her reaction.

            "It doesn't bite, go ahead and touch it," he said gently.

            She lifted her trembling hand and ran her fingers gently along the length of his erection, then pulled her hand back embarrassed. She couldn't believe what she was doing! What was she thinking? She wasn't ready for this! But she was in to far to back out now.

            "Just relax, I won't hurt you," he said.

            Then he was on top of her, kissing her jaw line and her neck. He left a trail of blazing kisses down to her breast. Licking, sucking, and kissing, he left her begging for more. She wasn't afraid anymore; she was lost in the sensations of her body.

            "Kuja…" She moaned; her breathing was heavy.

            His mouth left her breast and continued down her stomach, stopping momentarily to play with her belly button before continuing down to the area in between her thighs. She moaned and twisted as his tongue explored and memorized her, sending shocks of pleasure through her body.

            He made his way back up to her mouth and pressed his throbbing manhood against the soft flesh in between her thighs. She took a deep breath, memories of the stories she had heard from the ladies in the royal court about how it hurt the first time rushed to the front of her mind.

            Someone knocked on the door, causing them both to jerk apart from each other at the same time. For a second Kuja teetered on the edge of the queen size bed before toppling over the edge. He landed on the carpet with a soft thump and a groan.

            "Damn," she said, grabbing her forgotten robe, pulling it on and kicking the assorted clothes under the bed. Kuja hid under the bed.

            "Come in," she called; checking to make sure her hair wasn't to out of place.

            Beatrix entered and gave her a strange look when she saw that Garnet was still in her robe.

            "Haven't you had your bath yet?" she asked.

            "No, I didn't sleep well last night so I asked Mindy to let me sleep a little longer," Garnet lied.

            "My apologies, your highness. Did I wake you?" Beatrix asked, looking concerned.

            "No, I was awake," she said.

            "Your mother wanted me to tell you that she ordered a dress for the ball tonight, and that the tailor would be here to fit it before lunch. Would you like me to get Mindy to come and help you with your bath?" Beatrix asked.

            "Yes, that would be nice," she said with a smile. 

            Beatrix saluted her and left the room. Garnet turned and helped Kuja come out from under the bed.

            "You should leave before Mindy gets here," she said, helping him pull his clothes out from under the bed and put them back on. Then pulled him close and kissed him. She could still feel the bulge of his erection against her stomach, but it wasn't noticeable with his clothes on.

            "Next time, my canary, we won't be interrupted." He said, kissing her one more time before he left.

            Garnet sighed, sitting down again on the stool in front of her mirror. She picked up the brush and fixed her bun before taking off her robe and putting her nightgown back on, so that it wouldn't cause awkward questions.

            She was disappointed that they had been interrupted. He made her feel so good, and she had never felt anything like what she had been feeling only a few moments earlier. 

            There was a knock on the door and Mindy entered. "You are ready for your bath, your highness?" she asked, walking over to the large doorway to the bathroom and opening the door.

            "Yes," Garnet replied, following her into the bathroom

***

            Later on that day she stood on a small stool in the center of her room. The tailor was altering the dress her mother had chosen, which was quite beautiful, she thought as she looked into the mirror, but it reminded her of a wedding dress.

            When she asked about it however, her mother had laughed and said that she was being paranoid. Garnet wasn't so sure. She kept thinking back to how before her father died her mother had been so carefree. She missed that quality in her mother.

            The dress was gorgeous, and it fit her perfectly, but her mother wanted the bodice altered so it pushed her breasts up to the point that they were almost spilling out.

            "No one will want to marry her unless they see that she has something to offer him!" her mother had exclaimed when the tailor had protested. And so the bodice was altered until the point where she felt that if she so much as moved she would fall out of the dress.

            The dress was made of white silk with faint silver lines creating magnificent designs across the skirt, which went to the floor showing off the curve of her hips. There was a slit up both sides that reached up to her upper thigh, showing off her long legs. The bodice was made of silver silk. The sleeves were off the shoulder, making her feel as if she didn't fall out of the dress, the dress was going to fall off of her. She sighed, knowing that she couldn't fight with her mother about this. The dress was too provocative for her taste. All she could do was hope that it was Kuja that her mother picked.

            Then she remembered that Kuja had wanted to ask her something about the ball, but in the heat of the moment they had both forgotten about it. She sighed, knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to see him until the ball, and also because thinking about it made her remember the events of the morning.

            If only they hadn't been interrupted… though she supposed it was probably best that they had been interrupted. If they hadn't then she would have had sex with him. And she didn't think that her future husband, if it were decided that it wouldn't be Kuja, would appreciate that very much.

            "Can't the bodice go any higher?" her mother asked from the corner of the room.

            "No, your highness, unless you want the princess to spill out in the middle of the ball," he said, with a bow.

            Queen Brahne muttered something about incompetent servants under her breath and left the room. Both Garnet and the tailor sighed.

            "Can you take the bodice down a little, I'm afraid to move," she asked him. "I don't think she'll notice, no matter how high you put it she's not going to think it's high enough."

            The tailor smiled and nodded. He took the bodice down enough where she felt comfortable to move but it still pushed her breasts up enough where it was noticeable.

            "Thank you. My mother is going a little overboard on this whole thing if you ask me."

            The tailor said nothing, he kept rushing around her, making sure that the alterations were perfect. Finally she was able to step off the stool and take the dress off. She thanked the tailor again and left the room, her thoughts on her mothers change.

***

            "Where are my weapons?" she asked, glaring at him with nothing but anger in her eyes.

            "They will be here as soon as the canary is mine," he replied stubbornly.

            "Tonight, then. Garnet will be yours tonight," Brahne said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

            "Good," Kuja said, his face splitting into an evil smile.


	4. Encounter with a Stranger

A/N~ Unless I get some reviews from you guys I won't put up another chapter, I don't want to feel like I'm wasting my time. I hate to do this, but until I get a total of five reviews no more chapters. But thanks to Sparks and AvaWolf for reviewing! ^^

Encounter with a Stranger 

            She sat on the stool in front of her mirror again while Mindy pulled her hair up into an elegant bun. Twin tendrils of dark hair curled down the side of her face. She was so excited, yet at the same time worried that Kuja wouldn't be the one her mother chose. 

            There was a knock on the door and Beatrix entered, holding a circlet, a pendent, and a pair of earrings in her hands. "Your mother wanted me to give these to you. She thinks they will match the dress."

            Mindy helped her put them on. Her mother was right; they did match the dress. The circlet, the earrings, and the pendent were made of silver and they all had a diamond encrusted in them.

            Garnet was speechless. Everything about her looked perfect. Tonight was going to be fun; she knew that now. She only wished that the bodice wasn't so high. Finally she convinced herself that she wasn't going to fall out and followed Beatrix out of the room.

            She stopped in front of the door to the balcony of the ballroom, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. This wasn't her first ball, she had been to many in her meager seventeen years of existence, but none of them had been thrown to decide who she was going to marry. What if it wasn't Kuja? What if it was some old geezer who happened to be some old friend of the family and her mother just wanted to repay him a favor by letting him marry her? Her mother wouldn't do that…would she? She couldn't say; her mother had been doing things so differently lately that Garnet could no longer predict her actions.

            "Princess…" A familiar voice said behind her.

            She turned to see Kuja, dressed in a blue dress tunic and black pants. He looked good. She smiled; suddenly getting the feeling that everything was going to be okay. As long as Kuja was beside her, nothing could go wrong.

            He held out his arm with a gentle smile coming over his face. She could feel herself blushing, suddenly reminded of the events of that moment as she slipped her arm through his.

            He pushed open the door and they walked in. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping that he wouldn't notice how tense she was. She couldn't shake this feeling that something really bad was going to happen.

            "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine," he said as if he could read her thoughts.

            He led her down the wide balcony stairs, everyone turning from what they were doing to look at the couple. She could feel herself blushing even though she was used to people staring at her. After all, she was a princess. But they all seemed to know something… they all stared at her as if they hid something from her. No… she was only imagining things.

            The crowd began to part, making a pathway to the magnificent thrones that stood against the far wall. For the first time she noticed how utterly silent it was. No one moved other than to get out of their way, and every eye in the room was on them.

            Finally they stood in front of the thrones, where her mother sat in the left hand one. She smiled her unnerving smile, and Garnet knew that something was up. This was not a ball, she was certain of that now.

            Her mother stood and all the eyes shifted from Garnet and Kuja to her. She took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the fact that everyone was so attentive.

            "First off I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. I know this is no way to plan any royal affair, but the wedding of my daughter simple couldn't wait any longer…" Queen Brahne said.

            Garnet didn't hear any more after that. She had gone numb. Her mother had planned her wedding… This was her _wedding_? And no one told her until it was already in progress? Then another thought penetrated her mind…_ I'm marrying Kuja!_

            But somehow it wasn't as great as she thought it would be. There was some hesitation in her. She was only seventeen. She shouldn't be getting married. She wanted to see the world before she got married…it had always been her dream. That way she would know that she could really and truly settle down.

            And there was something different about Kuja. He looked so arrogant, the expression on his face wasn't the kind and gentle one she was so accustomed to seeing. Her instincts were screaming that something wasn't right. Her mother had the look of triumph, and not the pride that mothers were supposed to get when their daughter got married. She looked as if she had achieved victory in some plot.

            She took a deep breath. Her instincts were screaming for her to run. The feeling was so intense that she thought she would scream. There was nothing she could do but act. She wrenched her arm from Kuja's, who was so shocked that all he could do was stare at her. Then she ran.

            She pushed through the crowd of people, all of them staring at her in awe. She lifted her skirts so that she could race up the stairs and slammed out of the doors. Kuja lunged after her after the initial shock had worn off and as the door slammed closed after her she could hear her mother screaming, "Stop her!"

            She didn't look back as she ran; the guards were so shocked to see her running away from the ballroom that they couldn't react. This was unlike the Princess of Alexandria, who was so calm and serious. She could hear Kuja calling after her, but she didn't slow down, and she didn't want to go back.

            Finally she reached the main doors of the palace. Bursting through them all she could pray for was the ferry was at the dock. Otherwise she was trapped, and she knew that she couldn't swim in her dress.

            To her dismay the ferry wasn't there. It must have been on the other side, picking up passengers. Kuja would be on her any moment; she could stay here. She only had one choice. She kicked off her shoes and ripped at the stays on her gown. It fell to the ground leaving her in her thin petticoats. But she didn't care. She had to leave the palace.

            Without looking back she dove into the cold waters of the moat. She was a good swimmer, Beatrix had taught her how. Beatrix…she would miss her. And Steiner to; annoying as he may be at times. But she couldn't stay. She had to get out of the palace. One day she would return, when she was ready. She could hear Kuja calling after her, along with Beatrix and Steiner. But she wasn't going back.

            About midway she saw the ferry coming. She kept swimming, the guard who guided it and the passengers stared at her in shock, but they didn't realize that it was her, otherwise they would have yanked her aboard and she would be hauled back to the palace, shivering and soaked, and caged once again.

            Only ten feet away from freedom…five feet…so close…

***

            Zidane Tribal stood on the dock waiting for the ferry to come back. He had missed it by about two minutes. He sighed, knowing that he would hear it from his boss. He was supposed to be at the wedding representing Tantalus tonight since his boss had gotten so drunk last night with that whore. But he didn't mind, he wanted to see the princess for himself. He had heard rumors of her beauty ever since he first got here, and was just disappointed that he hadn't met her before Kuja did.

            Suddenly he became aware of splashing at the edge of the dock. He walked over to the side and looked down; to his shock a girl was treading water there, looking up at him in frustration.

            "Don't just stand there, help me up!" she cried, holding out a hand.

            He grabbed it and hauled her out of the river. Then stared at her in shock, seeing that she was only in her petticoats, and they weren't very thick. Without thinking he pulled off his thick overcoat and handed it to her.

            "Thank you so much," she said, pulling it over her shoulders. Then she smiled at him, "Who are you?"

            He stared at her for a moment before answering. He'd never seen her before, and yet somehow she looked familiar, "My name's Zidane."

            He waited for her to tell him who she was, but she just stared at him curiously. Then she snapped into reality.

            "I've got to get out of here," she said, staring with wide-eyes at something in the direction of the castle, "Oh, no… where am I going to go?"

            "Don't you have a place to stay?" he asked, looking at her in confusion.

            She shook her head and looked at the ground, "If you know somewhere I can stay without anyone knowing I'm there, I'd be grateful." She looked up at him, hope in her eyes.

            Shouts could be heard coming from the river, too far away to be understood, but she looked frightened just the same.

            "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand. He couldn't just leave her there. Something was obviously scaring her.

            He led her to the inn. She looked around, but no one was in sight. Everyone was at the palace, there for a wedding that the bride had run from.

            He led her up the stairs, "I already have a room here," he said, leading her down the narrow hallway. He opened the last door on the left and moved to let her enter first.

            The room was small, meant for one person. It was messy on account of him being in a hurry to get ready to go to the palace. He had gotten word that he was supposed to go last minute.

            "Sorry about the mess," he said, watching her as she looked around the room. He could tell that she wasn't used to anything being out of place.

            "Don't worry about it," she replied, sitting on the bed and shivering. He hurried over to his suitcase and pulled out an old shirt. It would be big on her, but it was better than wet petticoats.

            "Here, put this on and I'll go see if there's anything hot for you to eat," he said, walking over to the door.

            "Thank you, Zidane," she said. He could feel her gratitude from her tone of voice.

            He smiled at her over his shoulder and left the room.

A/N~ I know you guys are like, why the hell did she run if she's in love with him. So before you flame me for it let me just get it clear now that it will be explained somewhere in the next few chapters. There's a reasoning behind everything that happens in this. Do I seem like the type of person who just has things happen for no rational reason? *glares evilly at everyone*Didn't think so.


	5. Late Night Conversations

Late Night Conversations 

            Garnet pulled off the warm overcoat and instantly regretted it. But she didn't have a choice; she couldn't catch cold. After a moment she was able to pull off the sopping petticoats and put on the warm dry shirt. It was long, but not long enough for her to feel comfortable in front of a complete stranger. Especially a male…a very attractive male.

            She shook her head. This was not any way for a princess to act. She had been raised to look down upon peasants. But how could she look down upon her savior? He had helped her without question, he didn't even know who she was. And he was so…handsome…

            She glanced into the mirror above the dresser. Her hair had come out of the bun and was matted around her face; to her surprise the circlet hadn't come off when she was swimming across the river. It would give her away if anyone saw it. She lifted her hands and tried to pull it off, but it stuck fast.

            _What the hell?_ She thought, giving it another tug, but it remained where it was. _Maybe it's just stuck because my hair is wet._

            There was a knock on the door, and Zidane asked if she was decent. She told him she was and turned to the door. The doorknob turned and the door opened. Then he was back in the room with her, holding a bowl of warm stew. Her stomach growled and she remembered that she hadn't eaten since that afternoon, and even that hadn't been that much. She had been too nervous about the ball.

            Looking back she wasn't sure what she was so nervous about. She had gotten what she wanted, she was supposed to marry Kuja, but for some reason she had decided to run. She had to run, she had had no choice in the matter, her body had reacted, and she couldn't undo what had already been done. She couldn't return to the castle.

            "I heard something pretty interesting while I was down getting your stew," He said, giving a strange look. He handed her the bowl of stew and sat down beside her before going on, "Turns out that the princess ran from her wedding and swam across the river in her petticoats. The Alexandrian soldiers are out scouring the village for her."

            Garnet set the bowl of stew on the table next to the bed and looked at the ground, she had been found out and they both knew it, "You aren't going to turn me in are you?"

            She looked so pathetic; she must have had a reason to run, and he wasn't about to stop her. He shook his head. He was a free spirit, and he admired that quality in others. That she had felt strongly enough to run from her own wedding was good enough from him.

            "You won't? You mean it?" she cried, her face lighting up into the most dazzling smile he had ever seen. His heart clenched at the sight.

            "No," he said.

            Shocking them both she launched herself from the bed and tossed her arms around him. He wasn't sure how to react so he just stared at her.

            _What am I doing?_ She asked, pushing away from him and blushing. She was barely wearing anything, to start out with, and she was hugging a guy she had just met about an hour ago.

            She cleared her throat, "Please excuse my behavior. Things have been difficult these past few days."

            "Don't worry about it," he said, still in shock.

            "No, it was rude of me," she said, shaking her head. She studied him carefully for a moment, picking up her stew, and wondered what it was that attracted her to him so much. He didn't look all that different from Kuja, except for the hair and eyes. While Kuja had silver hair and pale blue eyes, Zidane had blond hair, about the same length as Kuja only Zidane pulled his into a ponytail in the back, and his eyes were deep blue, like the river outside Alexandria in the bright sunlight. Zidane was also more muscularly built than Kuja.

            "So why did you run from your wedding anyway?" he asked, changing the subject.

            She shrugged, not really sure why herself, "I just got the instinct to run. I didn't want to get married without seeing the world first. Getting married would mean spending the rest of my life trapped in the palace."

            He nodded, "I know what you mean. I would have done the same thing. The world's a big place, and not being able to see it before you're caged in a castle for the rest of your life would be hard."

            "At least there is someone who understands me," she said with a sigh. She had told her mother about her dream to see the world once, but her mother wouldn't allow it. She said that the world outside the palace was no place for a princess. Maybe that was why she had wanted to see Garnet married off so quickly.

            "So where are you planning on going first?" he asked.

            "I was thinking Lindblum. The regent there is my 'uncle'. I haven't been there since before my father died," she said.

            "Well, you're in luck, it just so happens that after your wedding I was heading to Lindblum, so if you'd like, you can come with me and the rest of the Tantalus gang," he said and smiled as her eyes lit up.

            "Really?" she asked excitedly. She hadn't been sure how she was going to get there, since if she wandered around outside she was sure to be caught.

            He nodded, "The rest of the gang won't mind." 

            "That's wonderful! Thank you!" she cried. She knew that even if she tried, she wouldn't be able to stop smiling. Someone was actually trying to help her achieve her dream of seeing the world before she gave the rest of her life to help her country.

            "Don't mention it," he said, her smile was infectious.

            "No one has ever helped me the way you have, Zidane. First you helped me out of the river and didn't make me return to the palace, then you don't turn me back into the hands of the guards, now you're going to take me to Lindblum," she said, in disbelief. It felt so strange not to be denied what she wanted. Everyone thought that a princess's life was perfect, and that she was never denied what she wanted, but that wasn't true. Just because she wore a tiara doesn't mean that everything went her way. In fact, she hardly got anything she wanted.

            She wasn't allowed to speak to commoners. She wasn't allowed to leave the palace. She had to wear long puffy gowns that got rather irritating after a while. She wasn't allowed to sit until her mother told her to, which sometimes she never did just to see how Garnet would react. She wasn't allowed to choose who she wanted to marry, it was up to her mother to choose. She wasn't allowed to speak to her mother unless spoken too. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere in the palace unless followed by either Steiner or Beatrix, in case some assassin decided to do her in. The list went on and on.

            But here she was, in the Alexandrian Inn, with a man she had met only about an hour ago, and he was going to help her see the world.

            He shrugged, "It's no big deal."

            "Yes it is," she said, shaking her head, "All my life everything I've ever truly wanted has been denied me. You have no idea how many things I am not allowed to do just because I'm a princess. And yet, you're giving me the chance to see what it's like to live a normal life."

            He smiled, seeing how to her it would be a big deal to actually have someone believe in her and understand the way she felt, "Glad I can help."

            "So where are you from?" she asked, changing to the subject. She was interested in finding out the sort of things he did with his life; since all she knew was the life she had lived in the palace.

            "Lindblum," He said simply, his tone saying she wasn't going to get any more out of him.

            She yawned, finally beginning to feel how late it was. She wasn't used to being up so late, since 'as a princess she needed her sleep'.

            "I'd better let you get some sleep, we have a long trip tomorrow," he said, "You can have the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

            "I wouldn't want to impose on you, since this is your room. I can sleep on the floor," she said quickly, feeling guilty.

            "No, it's okay, I'm used to it," he assured her.

            "It's cold though, why don't we share the bed?" Shocked at her own daring, but she couldn't take it back.

            "That's probably not a good idea," he said, his eyes going wide.

            "I insist," she said, giving him a look that showed that even if he protested, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

            He stared at her for a long moment, in shock. She was a princess, and she was asking him to share the bed with her. Didn't she see anything wrong with that? _Why are you so surprised? You are renowned in Lindblum for being a lady's man. She just can't resist your charm._

            "Alright, my fair princess, you win." He said.

A/N~ Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It might be a couple days before I can update again, I have a lot going on at the moment. But I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. ^^


	6. Off to Lindblum

Off to Lindblum 

            The next morning Garnet woke to be nose to nose with Zidane, their bodies pressed tightly together under the blankets. He was awake, watching her as she slept, and hadn't bothered to move.

            "How long have you been awake?" she asked, shifting so they weren't so close together.

            "Long enough," he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close against him.

            Her breath caught in her chest and could only watch him as his face inched closer until he had pressed his lips against hers. It felt better than kissing Kuja, which was something she hadn't expected. She had gotten used to the rush of emotions when she kissed Kuja, but with Zidane it was almost as if she had never experienced getting kissed before.

            It didn't strike her that what she was doing was wrong. It didn't strike her that she barely knew Zidane. All that mattered to her was the way he was making her feel. Being in his arms was pure ecstasy. Kuja was knocked from her mind as quickly as he had entered her life in those few precious moments. Because at that moment the door opened. They jumped apart as if they had been electrocuted 

            A man Garnet had never seen before stood there staring at them in shock. He had spiked red hair, "God, Zidane, I thought the boss sent you to the wedding to represent Tantalus, not to pick up the women."

            "Shut up, Blank!" Zidane snapped, annoyed at the intrusion. But part of him was relieved. What was he thinking?

            "Who's the girl?" Blank asked.

            "You'll meet her soon enough," Zidane said, stretching.

            "The boss wants us to meet in his room," Blank said, delivering the message he had been sent with.

            "Right, we'll be there in a couple of minutes," he replied. Blank turned and left.

            Garnet was frozen where she lay; her face was bright red. She couldn't believe what she had been doing. She was kissing a guy who she had just met last night! She may not have been acting very princess-like lately, but this time she had gone a little to far.

            "Sorry about that," Zidane said, turning to her with a look of concern. "The guys never knock."

            "I-It's okay," she said, trying to smile, but she couldn't.

            "Anyway, we have to go over to boss's room. I have to tell him that you're coming with us to Lindblum and all that," he said.

            "But I—," she protested.

            "He won't agree unless you come with me," Zidane said, "As soon as he gets a good look at you he won't be able to resist helping you out."

            "But I don't have anything to wear, and I refuse to go in this," she said, indicating the shirt that he had lent her.

            Zidane thought for a moment. Of course she was right. She didn't have any clothes of her own besides the petticoats and he doubted she would agree to wearing those in front of the guys either.

            "Hang on a second," he said, getting up and leaving the room.

            _What's he doing?_ She wondered, but she didn't have to wait long to find out. About five minutes later he was back carrying a dark green full-length dress.

            "Where did you get that?" she asked.

            "From the woman who runs the inn," he said, tossing her the dress. "I'll wait outside for you to change."

            "Thank you," she said as he left.

            She changed quickly and adjusted her hair in the mirror. She felt better now that she wasn't as exposed as she had been. Satisfied that that was as good as it was going to get she left the room. Like he said he would be, Zidane was waiting for her in the hallway.

            "Ready?" he asked, with a smile. The dress looked great on her, it was tight in all of his favorite places.

            She nodded then followed him down the hall to another room. Zidane opened the door and stepped back so she could enter first. She noted uncomfortably that every eye in that room was on her as she entered. Zidane came in and shut the door behind him.

            "Zidane, what in bloody hell is she doing in here?" a heavyset man asked.

            "Well, it's quite an interesting story, boss," Zidane said, knowing that he had a lot of explaining to do. It didn't help that all the guys were tossing him knowing looks. He wondered what Blank had told them. More than like that Garnet was some whore he picked up at the wedding last night.

            "Perhaps it would be better if I explained," Garnet said. From the tone of the boss of Tantalus' voice he was angry, and she didn't want Zidane to get in trouble for agreeing to help her. Zidane looked as though he was going to protest, but she shot him a look and he complied.

            "I am Princess Garnet til Alexandros the 17th. Zidane brought me here because he offered to take me to Lindblum. Last night I escaped from the palace, jumped into the moat and swam across, because unlike my mother, I don't feel as though I'm ready to get married. Zidane pulled me out of the river and brought me to his room in the inn to hide me from the soldiers," she said.

            The boss considered her carefully. "Why do you want to go to Lindblum?"

            "Regent Cid is a friend of my father's. I haven't been there since my father died," Garnet said.

            "I don't know. I'm not sure we want to get tangled into this," the boss said.

            "Ah, c'mon boss! What can it hurt? What if she tries to go herself and gets caught?" Zidane said.

            "I asked you to represent Tantalus, not have an affair with the Princess!" the boss yelled, which made both Zidane and Garnet go red.

            "Nothing happened between me and the Princess!" Zidane yelled back.

            "That's not what I saw," Blank put in.

            "Boss, Zidane's right, we can't let her go back to the palace," another man said. He was leaning against the wall in the corner. Garnet studied him for a moment. He was wearing a brown bandana on his head, a blue shirt and pants. He had a sword strapped to his back.

            "What are you talking about?" the boss asked angrily.

            They stared at each other for a long time before his expression changed to one of compliance.

            "Right, okay then, the princess is coming with us. We leave this evening," the boss said.

            Garnet smiled brightly, "Thank you! I don't know how I can ever repay you for this."

            "You can thank me the same way you were thanking Zidane this morning," Blank said.

            "Blank!" Zidane snapped; he could feel his face getting hot again. He knew that they wouldn't be letting him live this down for a long time.

            "I'm kidding, man!" Blank said.

            "Whatever."

***

            Later that evening Garnet and Zidane were back in the boss's room. She had spent the day in Zidane's room, being unable to leave the inn in case she was recognized. The guys from Tantalus were wandering around Alexandria trying to figure out how tight security was and find a way to smuggle her out of there.

            "We have to disguise her better than that. She's going to be recognized," Cinna said.

            Zidane had introduced her to everyone. They still were making jokes about their 'affair', but not as bad as before. They must have figured out by now that nothing had really happened.

            "That dress helps, but she still looks like the princess," Zidane said.

            "Marcus, go get your cloak and give it to her cloak," Baku said.

            Marcus left the room and came back a few minutes letter carrying a long hooded brown cloak. She pulled it on. It was a little long. She pulled the hood over her head so it hid her face.

            "That's better," Baku said.

            "But how are we going to get out of here? They're going to search the airship for her. What if they recognize her?" Blank asked.

            "I have an idea. Garnet and I will leave by foot, that way when they search the airship they won't find her. Then we meet you guys in Evil Forest," Zidane said.

            "How are you going to get to Evil Forest?" Baku asked.

            Zidane thought for a moment, "I'll find a way to get us there."

            "It's our best bet. There's no way they aren't going to recognize her if we try to get her out of here by airship," Marcus said.

            "Fine. You just better hope you can get to Evil Forest by foot," Baku said, "We're leaving now. We'll wait for you two days max. If you aren't there by then, you have to find your own way to Lindblum."

            Zidane, Marcus, Cinna, Blank, and Baku all saluted, then the rest of Tantalus left, leaving it just Garnet and Zidane.

            "How are we going to get down the cliff?" Garnet asked.

            "I have no idea," Zidane admitted.

            "Let's just leave, we can figure that out when we get out of Alexandria."

***

            "HALT!" One of the soldiers cried.

            The robed boy ran, regardless. He knew that they suspected him of kidnapping the Princess. He didn't know why they thought he had, since he hadn't been near the castle at the time she escaped, but they had been chasing him for the past half hour.

            He turned into the alleyway and ran into a tall blonde-haired man. Standing next to him was a hooded figure who kept in the shadows.

            "S-Sorry about that," he apologized.

            "Don't worry about it, what's going on?" the man asked.

            Two soldiers turned into the alley, bringing a gasp from the hooded figure, who sank further into the shadows. The man tossed the figure a look, then turned his attention back to the soldiers.

            "What's going on?" the man asked again.

            "That boy is holding the Princess hostage!" One of the soldiers cried.

            "No, I'm not!" the boy cried.

            "That's impossible!" the man said, "What's your proof?"

            "That is what the Queen told us. She said to be on the lookout for a black mage. He is a black mage," the soldier told him.

            "But he couldn't have kidnapped the Princess, I just saw her at the inn a few minutes ago," the man said.

            "What?" the other soldier said.

            "Yeah, she was this group of men and they were going on about smuggling her out of the city by airship," the man told them.

            "Come on!" the first soldier said, "We must go to the inn at once! We have to stop them! I'm sorry for accusing you of holding the Princess hostage."

            With that said they ran off in the direction of the inn.

            "Let's go before they realize that you lied," the hooded figure said. The boy could now tell that it was a woman under the cloak.

            They started to walk but the boy stopped them.

            "Wait!" he cried. They both turned around. "Thank you for helping me."

            The man considered him for a moment, "The soldier said you were a black mage, is that true?"

            The boy nodded.

            "Then why don't you come with us? We could use your help," the man said. "We're heading to Evil Forest."

            "E-Evil Forest? I don't know…" the boy said. He had heard the stories about Evil Forest ever since he was a child.

            "Don't worry, we're not going in there. We're just meeting someone outside it with an airship. We're really going to Lindblum," the hooded woman said.

            "Alright," the boy said, with a nod. He didn't have any reason to stay, and he knew that if he did, he would probably continue to be harassed by soldiers until the Princess was found.

            "Great!" the man said, "My name is Zidane, this is Dagger."

            "My name is Vivi," the boy said.

            "Let's go before they come back," Dagger said, "Hopefully you threw them off enough that the main entrance to Alexandria won't be as guarded since they will be to busy searching airships."

            "We have two days to get to Evil Forest, we'd better hurry." Zidane said, heading in the direction of the gate.

            "Why are you meeting an airship at Evil Forest?" Vivi asked.

            "We have some very precious cargo to pick up there, but we can't have it on the ship when we leave Alexandria, so we're going to put it on at Evil Forest," Zidane said.

            They came into view of the gate and moved over to the side, crouching behind a couple boxes they tried to figure out how many guards were at the gate.

"I only see two guards at the gate," Dagger said.

            "Good, just keep to the shadows, and I'll distract them. Vivi, stay with Dagger, they might try to harass you again," Zidane said. He stood up and ran to the gate. The guards immediately tried to stop him.

            "What is going on?" One of the guards asked.

            "Oh thank the gods I found you! They're trying to sneak the Princess out on an airship!" Zidane said.

            "Who?" The other guard asked.

            "Black Mages!" Zidane said dramatically, "They were everywhere, I tried to help her, but they were just to powerful! Hurry! Before they get away!"

            The two guards ran off in the direction of the airship dock. After they had run past Dagger and Vivi hurried over to Zidane.

            "That was too easy. For people who protect you Garnet, they aren't very smart," Zidane said as they walked through the gate.

            "Hold it right there!" a voice called from behind them.

            "Oh, no! Steiner!" Garnet breathed.

            They all turned around to find the Captain of the Knights of Pluto behind them, with two soldiers.

            "How dare you try and sneak the Princess out of Alexandria! I won't let you! Don't worry Princess Garnet, I will save you!" Steiner exclaimed valiantly.

            "Leave it to me Princess, I'll get you out of here," Zidane said.

            "Stand back! I will destroy the mage!" Steiner yelled.

            "No!" Vivi cried. He conjured a fire spell and flung it at Steiner, who screamed and ran around in circles trying to put out the flames. The two soldiers watched him in astonishment.

            "Now's our chance!" Zidane said, and they all raced out the gate.

            "Don't just stand there! The Princess is getting away!" Steiner yelled.

            Garnet, Zidane, and Vivi ran for their lives, the soldiers on their tail, and Steiner right behind them. It wasn't long before they were standing at the edge of the cliff. Thousands of feet below them was the lake that Alexandria's twin waterfalls fell into.

            "Now what?" Zidane asked.

            "Jump!" Garnet cried.

            "Are you crazy? Do you know how high this thing is? We'll be dead before we hit the water!"

            "Just do it!" Garnet said, sucking in a deep breath. Her heart was hammering in her chest, but it was the only way. Without warning she jumped.

            "Garnet!" Zidane cried, but he was trapped. He had to follow her. He jumped over the side praying for his life.

            The soldiers were catching up, and Vivi knew that he would be blamed for what had happened. He knew now that the woman in the cloak was Princess Garnet, and he had somehow gotten pulled into her escape. He had no choice. He held his hat on his head and jumped.

A/N~ It's kinda long, but it's there. Sorry it's taken me so long, but I've been sick. But it's up now. Will Zidane, Princess Garnet, and Vivi live to hit the water thousands of feet below them? Until I get the next chapter up, that's for you to guess. Though it's probably kinda obvious. Keep checking back for the next chapter, I don't know when it's going to get up, but it'll be soon. Since I have nothing better to do with my life.


	7. Trip to Evil Forest

A/N~ After being surgically attached to my couch for a week and a half sick, I'm gonna attempt to write the next chapter. So cut me a little slack if it sucks, my muse hasn't been very helpful lately, it seems to be more of a slacker than I have been as of late. So be nice and review me, or I might get angry and stop writing. ^^

Trip to Evil Forest 

            Garnet woke up on a small beach, half in the cold waters of the lake. She was shivering from being soaked and from the chilly wind that blew down from the cliffs. She was covered in sand, which stuck to her sopping clothes.

            Vivi and Zidane were unconscious a few feet away. She walked unsteadily over to Zidane to make sure he was breathing; he was. Then she checked Vivi. Satisfied that they were okay she sat down in the sand, pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them; ready to wait for them to wake up, shivering uncontrollably. She was just starting to get numb when Zidane started to stir. He opened first one eye, then the other. Groaning quietly he pushed his shaking body into a sitting position.

            "We actually survived that?" he asked, looking slowly up the cliff until his eyes came to the top, thousands of feet above them.

            "Amazingly, yes we did," she said.

            "We can't stay here for long, they're going to find a way to get down here without killing themselves to look for you. Let's get out of here," Zidane said. He stood up and walked over to Vivi and shook him gently. After a moment the small black mage stirred and then sat up.

            "What happened?" he asked softly, rubbing the back of his head through the hat. It had managed to stay secured to his head even though they had plunged downward about two thousand feet at an amazing speed, and then floated unconscious in cold lake water until they drifted to shore.

            "We survived the fall," Zidane said, "And now we've got to get out of here before the soldiers come looking for the Princess."

            Vivi shook his head, but stood anyway. As they started southward toward Evil Forest he wondered how he had gotten dragged into this mess. He had been running away from soldiers, who wrongfully claimed he had kidnapped the Princess, and now he was unwittingly helping her escape from Alexandria.

            But he didn't have time to think. The mist that engulfed the continent spawned a lot of monsters that could attack at any given moment. They would have to be alert if they were going to make it to Evil Forest alive. His only relief was that they weren't going through Evil Forest. He had heard many a tale about people who had attempted to go through it, but they didn't survive to come back.

            On the trails of that thought two Fangs sprang out of a nearby bush. They stood on their toes; fur on their backs raised, ready to pounce when they least expected it. Long strings of saliva ran from in between the beast's bared teeth, and a low growl emitted from one of the Fang's throat.

            Princess Garnet whimpered and took a small step back. She shook her head slightly and took a deep breath. She had to be brave. There were a lot of monsters in the world and she couldn't run from them. She had to protect herself and the others. She was the reason they were even walking to Evil Forest anyway. She had asked Zidane to help her get to Lindblum.

            Zidane pulled two daggers from twin scabbards attached to either side of his belt. He looked at first one, then the other, a thrilled grin coming over his face.

            "Stay back Princess," he said, stepping protectively in front of her. Then he directed his attention to the two Fangs who hadn't made their move yet, "I just bought these daggers in Alexandria the other day. I've been waiting for a chance to try them out."

            Adrenaline pumping through his veins he crouched into a fighting position. His knees were bent, ready to pounce; his daggers were extended in front of him, one in each hand. Then he used his dagger to signal the Fangs to attack; the same thrilled grin lighting up his face.

             With a roar like a tiger both Fangs jumped at him. Garnet stifled a scream and the urge to jump in front of him. But he knew what he was doing. Zidane moved with the speed of lightning, slashing out at both Fangs before they could touch him. With a thud they fell to the ground and didn't get back up. Red blood stained his shining daggers. With practiced ease he bent down and wiped them on the grass, then slid the daggers back into the scabbards. Then he turned to face Garnet.

            One look at her and he called himself seven kinds of a fool. She had never seen anything die before. He should have told her to turn away. Her face was deathly white; her hands, now pressed against her mouth, were shaking. Her eyes were wide and staring at the dead Fangs.

            He crossed the grass so he was standing in front of her. Before he knew what he was doing he had wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. She relaxed in his embrace, "I'm sorry Garnet, I should have told you not to watch."

            She pushed away from him and wrapped her arms around her self, shaking her head, "No, it's best that I get used to that. Zidane, I—," she started, but stopped herself. She couldn't tell him that she was more upset about the idea that he could have been hurt, then seeing the Fangs die, "I think we should keep going."

            He looked somewhat disappointed, as if he had known what she was going to say but didn't. But he couldn't have possibly known, she convinced herself.

            Without another word the trio continued toward the forest. It wasn't too long before the forest loomed about fifty yards ahead of them.

            "Where's the airship?" Zidane wondered aloud. He should be able to see it.

            "Maybe it's on the other side of the forest," Garnet wondered.

            Vivi whimpered softly. If the airship was on the other side of the forest, they had no choice but to travel through it.

            Zidane shook his head; "The boss said they'd wait for us in front of Evil Forest."

***

            Baku, Cinna, Blank, and Marcus stood in the cramped engine room of the small airship. They had borrowed it from Lindblum castle after getting permission from the regent to go to Garnet's wedding to try and get permission from the Queen to perform at the Princess's eighteenth birthday.

            At the present moment they were stuck at the airship dock. The soldiers had already checked the airship for the Princess, but they weren't allowed to leave even after it was decided that the Princess wasn't onboard.

            "What are we going to do? Zidane has probably already made it to Evil Forest by now," Cinna said.

            "If he managed to get down the cliff you mean," Blank replied dryly.

            "Assuming he did, he must be waiting for us at Evil Forest. We have to figure out how to get out of here," Baku said.

            "Why don't we just make a break for it?" Cinna suggested.

            "And get shot down? No, we're not risking the airship," Baku scoffed.

            "Ruby…" Blank said.

            "What are you going on about?" Marcus asked.

            "We could get Ruby to pretend to be Princess Garnet. She already decided to stay in Alexandria anyway. She can distract the guards and we can make a break for it." Blank said.

            "That could work…if she agrees that is," Baku said with a nod, "We'll leave that up to you."

            "Thanks…I think," Blank said, stomping out of the room. Everyone knew he had a thing for Ruby, and she liked him back. But she got annoyed with him because he was often late to meet with her. She was currently upset with him because he wouldn't quit Tantalus to stay in Alexandria with her. He just couldn't bring himself to leave the group he called family. It wasn't that he didn't love her…

***

            "HELP!" the hooded woman screamed, running frantically down the dark street of Alexandria. Her voice echoed strangely around her, bouncing off the walls of the surrounding buildings. The man who chased her was unrelenting, finding her no matter how dark an alley she hid in.

            She turned another corner and saw armored soldiers standing near the airship dock. Surely they would help her. It was hard, but she managed to make her tired legs run still faster. The heavy pipe she held in her hands beneath her cloak seemed to get even heavier.

            "Please, you have to help me!" she screamed again.

            The ruse seemed to work, for all the soldiers turned sharply to face her. One of them, a chunky man in rusted armor stared at her hard, as if deciding if she was who he thought she was even though the cloak hid her face. She knew him immediately.

            "Steiner! Please, that man tried to kidnap me! Don't let him get me!" she screamed, running up to him and pointing a shaking finger at a figure hidden in shadow.

            "Get that man! He tried to kidnap the Princess!" Steiner ordered, not skipping a beat.

            Ruby smiled, hidden by the cloak. Blank was right, the soldiers weren't all that bright. They tore after the figure, who stood, waiting for them to catch him. When he didn't move, they slowed a bit warily, but kept going. None of them wanted to be responsible for something happening to the Princess.

            "Don't worry Princess, we'll catch that man and you'll be back at the palace soon. The queen is terribly worried about you, not to mention that Kuja man. It's almost as if he has run of the castle, instead of her highness."

            Ruby didn't answer; instead she gripped the pipe still harder. She brought it up and swung hard. Before Steiner knew what happened, he unconscious on the ground from a blow to the back of the head.

            "Thanks for tryin' to help lil' ol' me, but I can take care of mahself," she said, using her normal voice. Then turned her attention back to the soldiers.

            Blank stood in the shadows, waiting for the right moment, waiting for them to draw close enough…now! With an almighty leap he didn't think possible of himself he jumped over the soldiers. He landed catlike behind them, got to his feet, and raced toward Ruby.

            The engine of the airship behind her kicked to life.

            "MOVE IT!" Marcus called from the deck as the ship started to lift off. He leaned over the railing and tossed a long thick rope over the side.

            He ran faster than he had ever run in his life. The soldiers were coming after him, knowing now that they had been tricked. He skidded to a halt in front of Ruby.

            "Go on now!" she exclaimed. She knew that he had to leave her. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but he couldn't see them. In the blink of an eye she was in his arms, his lips pressed against hers. She blinked in surprise, it wasn't what she was expected. Then she smiled as he let her go.

            "I'll come back, I promise," he said, then ran toward the airship. With a high jump he caught the rope and started to climb it.

            "YOU BETTER!" she screamed after him.

            He paused long enough to give her a wave.

            "Shoot it down," came a cold voice from behind her.

            She turned quickly to see a man standing there. He wasn't dressed like the soldiers. Instead he wore a rather skimpy, girlish outfit. He had silver hair, cut like Zidane's. He also had blue eyes, but while Zidane's blue eyes were the friendly color of the deep ocean, this man's eyes were the pale blue of ice. He gave her the creeps.

            "You can't!" she cried.

            "Shut up! Don't get involved with something that has nothing to do with you," he said, his voice sent shivers down her spine. This man was evil. There was no other explanation for it.

            "It has everythin' to do with me! Those are mah friends!" she said angrily.

            "Shut up!" he said again, backhanding her. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

            Before she could move the soldiers fired a large cannon that they had brought from the warehouse behind the airship dock. The cannonball flew toward the retreating airship with deadly accuracy.

            "NOO!" she screamed as the cannonball ripped through the airship. A huge fireball engulfed the airship and smoke was everywhere.

            The man behind her began to laugh. His laugh was worse than his voice.

            "You jerk!" she screamed, and flung herself at him.

            He didn't even flinch, just knocked her out of the way and kept his eyes on the burning fireball that was the airship.

            "Sir, it's still moving," one of the soldiers said.

            "Then fire at it again," he said, as though it were obvious.

            Ruby watched in horror as they fired another cannonball at the airship. There was no way they survived that. No way.


	8. On the pain of Death

On the Pain of Death  

            Garnet sighed softly, she was getting tired. They had been sitting outside Evil Forest for almost an hour, hoping that maybe the airship had just gotten caught up in Alexandria and that they wouldn't have to make the trip through Evil Forest. But as time passed that hope got dimmer and dimmer.

            "What's that noise?" Zidane said, instantly alert.

            "What noise?" Vivi asked.

            Garnet looked around, she could hear it now too. Then something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Looking back towards Alexandria she saw a large black dot heading towards them.

            "The airship!" She cried, recognizing the noise immediately.

            In a matter of seconds they were all on their feet grinning happily. But the grins faded as the airship drew closer and they could see the stream of black smoke coming from behind it.

            "Fuck!" Zidane yelled loudly.

            "Zidane!" Garnet exclaimed, shocked to hear such language. No one in the royal court would dare say that word. Before she could say anything Zidane had grabbed both her and Vivi and was dragging them away from the forest.

            "What are you doing?" Vivi cried.

            "Don't you get it? It's going to crash!" Zidane shouted, pulling them along as fast as he could run. Unfortunately neither Garnet nor Vivi were as fast as Zidane and they kept tripping over their own feet.

            The giant flaming airship drew closer and closer at an alarming rate. Right before it hit the forest Zidane pushed them to the ground. With a loud bang and a burst of flames the airship hit the trees and exploded. Bit of flaming debris hit the ground around them.

            Zidane was the first to stand. He was absolutely still, staring at the now quietly burning ruins of the airship in shock. Garnet stood and placed a hand on his shoulder, not really sure what to say. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes, knowing that somehow her mother was tied into this. She had probably killed all of the members of Tantalus, Zidane's friends. He shook her hand off and started slowly toward the ship, then broke into a sprint. He had to know if anyone had survived the wreck. Garnet and Vivi stared after him for a moment in shock before following.

            Zidane pushed among the debris scattered around the burning airship, not worried about his own welfare. He didn't care if he was injured, he had to find someone, anyone, and had to find them alive. _Please let them be alive…_

            It wasn't long before he came across Cinna, lying in an awkward heap under a large board, which Zidane promptly lifted off him and threw to the side. Cinna was unconscious, for which Zidane was glad because he looked to have gotten some very serious, painful injuries. His left leg was broken, the bone poking through the skin. He was lying at an awkward angle and he had suffered some very serious burns on his right side. In some places it didn't even look as if there had ever been skin there it was so charred. But he was breathing, Zidane was glad to see that.

            "Oh Gods!" Garnet said from behind him bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. She knelt down beside Zidane and placed her hands on Cinna.

            "Don't touch him!" Zidane cried, moving to push her off, until he saw the telltale white glow surrounding her hands. Then he knew that she was trying to heal him. In a matter of moments nearly all the signs of his burns were gone, the skin was left a slightly pink color that would fade over time. His leg was as good as new, but would be painful for a while.

            "Move him away from the ship," Garnet said, looking a little tired.

            "Are you okay?" he asked.

            She nodded, then watched as he picked up Cinna and moved him to an area well away from the wreck of the airship. He paused for a moment to talk to Vivi before coming back. He held out his hand and helped her up, then placed a supportive arm around her. They walked together through the debris looking for more people.

            "Thank you," he said softly.

            "Don't mention it. I couldn't just leave him like that." Garnet replied.

            "I didn't know you knew white magic," he said, giving her a look that said he had underestimated her.

            "I don't know all that much, just how to heal," she admitted.

            He didn't say anything, his eyes scanning the debris.

            "Blank!" he cried, dropping his arm and stumbling through the debris toward the twisted body of his friend. Garnet followed a little slower, praying that he was alive so that she could heal him.

            He looked worse than Cinna had, as he had been on the deck when the cannonball had hit. He was very badly burned; in many places his skin had melted right off his body, showing burned muscle and bone. His face was covered in blood from many small cuts. His worst wound was in his chest, where a large piece of wood had impaled him when the ship exploded. Miraculously he was still breathing, though it sounded as if the wood had ripped into one of his lungs. Worse yet, he was awake.

            "Zidane…" he whispered softly, the pain evident on both his face and in his voice.

            "Shhhh…" Zidane said soothingly, "Garnet's going to help you."

            Garnet knelt down next to him and placed her hand gently on his chest, careful not to touch him near his wound for it was bound to be painful.

            "Take the wood out of his chest," she said, before she prepared to heal him.

            White light engulfed her hands and slowly his wounds were healed. Unfortunately Blank would have a scar on his chest for the rest of his life, but other than that he would have no long lasting effects from his injuries.

            "In…my…pocket…" Blank whispered before passing out.

            Zidane reached into Blanks pocket and pulled out a scroll-like piece of parchment. Unfolding it he saw it was a map of the world. He rolled it up and stuck it in his pocket, then picked up Blank and carried him over to where Cinna lie.

            Garnet was exhausted, but she knew that there were more people to be found. Marcus and Baku were still missing.

            A soft groan to her left caught her attention. She stood unsteadily, feeling exhausted from the amount of magic she had used. She wasn't used to using so much magic. Stumbling around the bigger pieces of debris she soon came across Marcus. He wasn't as badly injured as Blank had been, which upon seeing, made her sigh with relief. She knelt down beside him and placed her hands on his chest. In a matter of moments he was healed.

            "Thank you…" he whispered.

            "You're welcome," she said with a gentle smile.

            "How's Blank?" he asked softly.

            "He's going to be fine," she told him and he smiled in relief.

            "What about Cinna and the boss?" he asked.

            "Cinna's fine, but we haven't found Baku yet."

            Zidane came up and knelt beside Marcus.

            "How are you?" he asked.

            "I'm okay, thanks to your new girlfriend," Marcus said, managing a sly grin.

            Both Garnet and Zidane blushed, "She's not my girlfriend."

            "Sure…" Marcus said.

            "Shut up," Zidane said, helping Marcus to his feet. Together they walked slowly away from the still smoldering airship. Then he was back and holding out his hand to help her to her feet.

            "We have to find Baku," she said.

            "Marcus said to try over there," Zidane said, pointing toward the burnt out shell of the ship. They walked slowly through the debris, only to be met with a horrid sight. Baku lay inside the burnt out hull of the ship, his skin burnt completely off his body. He was dead. Garnet stifled a sob and turned quickly away. Zidane stared in horror, frozen in his spot.

            "Oh gods!" Garnet said softly. _Poor Zidane!_

            Zidane still hadn't moved. He couldn't take his eyes off the charred body of his friend. Baku had been more than a friend to him; he was the father that Zidane never had. Zidane didn't know his real family; all he remembered was that Baku had found him as a child and had taken care of him. And now he was gone… Tears welled up in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He had to be strong. He hung his head and clenched his fists, fingernails digging into his palms, but he didn't care.

            Garnet noticed this but said nothing. Instead she gently grabbed his arm and pulled him away. He followed reluctantly, knowing there was nothing he could do. Baku was dead, and there was nothing anyone could do to bring him back.

            She led him away from the ship and the charred debris to a spot under a tree. They sat down without a word. He couldn't speak; he was too afraid that the emotions would show in his voice. Somehow she knew that and said nothing. Instead she wrapped her arms around him, placed her head on his shoulder, and began to hum.

            As Zidane listened to her humming he became lost in the moment. There was something about the song…no, about her that intrigued him like nothing else. She was beautiful, yeah, no one could deny that, but that wasn't it. It was something else…

            "What's that song called?" he asked when she was finished.

            "I don't really know. I heard it somewhere before, I'm sure of that, but I can't remember where and I can't remember the words," she said softly.

            "It's really pretty…" he said, "Kind of haunting in a way."

            "It always make me feel better when I hum it," she said, her eyes downcast.

            It made her wonder, so much had happened to her so far and she hadn't been away from the castle for that long. Two days and she had seen enough death and destruction to last her for a lifetime. Maybe she didn't deserve to leave the castle. Maybe she was meant to be trapped within those stonewalls for the rest of her life. She sighed, was that what she really wanted?

            "What are you thinking about?" Zidane asked.

            Garnet shrugged, "Is it really okay to leave my people behind me for my own selfish wish to leave the palace? Maybe there's a reason I wasn't allowed leave Zidane. Maybe that's where I'm supposed to be."

            "Is that what you want? To be trapped inside that palace for the rest of your life, never to see the true beauty of the world. I can show you things that you never knew existed, and you can meet people who will treat you for the person you really are, not differently because you're a princess. Isn't that what you want?" Zidane said.

            "Yes," she replied, "That's why I left in the first place."

            "Then what are you worrying about?" he asked. "Enjoy your vacation, Princess, it's not all going to be like this."

            They both fell silent as they looked around at the ruined airship. Now they had no choice but to go through Evil Forest. She looked over at Zidane, he was looking at his feet. She didn't need to read his mind to know that he was thinking about Baku. Without thinking twice she reached and gently raised his head so he was looking into her eyes. Then she kissed him.

***

            "Have you found the Princess yet?" Kuja asked, glaring at the cowering man in armor before him.

            "No, sire!" The man said in a shaky voice. Kuja scared him beyond belief. His eyes were so cold; he could almost see the promise of death hidden inside them.

            "Why not?"

            "We have already told you, she's not in Alexandria, she—," the man started, but Kuja cut him off.

            "The only thing I want you to tell me is that you found her!" he roared.

            "Y-yes sire," the man said.

            Kuja turned from him to the other two soldiers standing by the door, "Kill him."

            The two guards looked startled, but they knew better than to argue. Kuja would just order their deaths too. They walked over to the cowering soldier and grabbed his arms; he struggled as they dragged him out of the room.

            "The Queen will not approve of this!" the doomed soldier cried.

            Kuja held up a hand to stop them and replied coolly, "The Queen has no choice in the matter, she gave control over to me," then he turned his attention over to the two soldiers holding onto the one who had defied him, "For this outburst I want you to kill his family while you're at it. Make him watch you kill them before you kill him."

            The man cried out in protest and struggled harder, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

            "I highly doubt that," Kuja said, turning away. 

A/N~ So what'd you think? I dunno, I don't think Zidane seems sad enough about Baku's death… But anyway, keep a lookout for the next chapter. And thanks for all the reviews, it means a lot to me that you guys like my fanfic.


	9. Mysteries of the Ice Cavern

A/N~ My first order of business is to say I updated. Obviously. My second order of business is to apologize for it's crappiness. This chapter did not come easy. I fought with several people online while writing it, and I finished it when I was half asleep. Then I want to apologize to anyone angry at the fact that I killed off Baku. Don't worry though; his death is not irrelevant to the plot. There will come a time when all will become known to you. Until then keep reading and reviewing! ^^

Mysteries of the Ice Cavern 

            Baku had been buried at the edge of the forest. There was nothing else they could do for him. A crude cross now marked his final resting spot. An air of sadness followed as they stood silently around the grave saying their last goodbyes. Everyone was sad, but no one felt their grief to as deep an extent as Zidane.

            Garnet stood beside him wanting nothing more than to hold him and help him work through it, but she couldn't. And they couldn't stay any longer; the soldiers would soon be after them.

            _If only I hadn't left the palace. Then Baku would still be alive,_ she thought to herself. Even though it wasn't directly her fault, she couldn't help feeling responsible for his death.

            "Let's go," Zidane said softly, turning away from Baku's grave.

            They followed him in silence into the forest. Everyone was still mourning the loss of their friend and leader. Vivi had never known him, and Garnet had not known him long, but it was impossible to be around so many sad people and not be sad yourself. So they stuck by each other and Zidane.

            The trip through Evil Forest was relatively uneventful to their complete and utter surprise, only a few fights with monsters here and there, nothing the gang of Tantalus hadn't seen before. After hearing so many tales of the strange beings within they couldn't help but be a little suspicious.

            "Let's not let our guard down, there are still dangers outside the forest," Marcus said as they left the other side.

            It wasn't long before they found a cave in a cliff.

            "This is the Ice Cavern. My grandfather told me about this place. It will take us to the top of the mist. From there we should be able to find a way to Lindblum," Vivi told them.

            "Great!" Zidane said with forced enthusiasm. Garnet could tell that his mind was back at the edge of Evil Forest where Baku would forever lie.

            She felt so helpless. She could tell he was suffering, and it killed her that she could not heal emotional wounds like she could physical ones. Why did she care so much? It wasn't as if she had known him for very long. Two days. And yet his pain was her pain. It was as if they were already one person.

            To feel that way about a person she had known for so short a period of time baffled her. It wasn't all that long ago she had thought that she wanted to spend her entire life with Kuja. And yet here she was on this big adventure to see the world, and on the second day she had fallen in love… was that too strong a word? Could it be true?

            There was no denying it. Somewhere in the course of the past several days she had changed. Her life had been considered a dream, the life everyone wanted to have and only a few 'lucky' people did. She had always been taught that it was her fate to do exactly what was expected of her. She had to be a primped, proper, imperious princess. And she had always been taught that what she wanted in life didn't matter. Everything had been about what her mother wanted to her to do.

            But she had changed all that. She escaped from the one thing she had thought she had wanted. She had left behind a mass of wealth in that split second when she realized that what she thought she had wanted wasn't as important as she thought it was. She had to do something for herself for once. She had to prove that what she wanted was just as important as what her mother wanted.

            And now the first person to hold out his hand in an offer to do something for her, to show her kindness, to see the person behind her rank, to treat her as an equal rather than a superior, and to believe in her, was hurting. And there was nothing she could do for him.

            _Why do horrible things have to happen to nice people?? Why did Baku have to die and leave Zidane here mourning him?? Why did this even have to happen?? It's all my fault!! I caused this!!_ Her mind was screaming at her. Blaming her… It was all her fault.

            She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling isolated. None of the others had caused this. It was her! She had indirectly destroyed lives. How many people in her kingdom were suffering due to her selfishness? Were they cursing her as she thought about them?

            In one moment of panic she had done so much. Something that she had thought was not a big deal at the time. It had been a gut instinct after all. Her instincts had told her to run, and so she had. And now people were suffering due to her split second decision.

_Maybe I should have just married Kuja after all, no one would have had to suffer that way_, She thought to herself.

Yet underneath all that, she somehow knew that she had made the right decision in running away. She just couldn't see herself marrying Kuja. And besides, now was not the time for what if's.

            They entered the Ice Cavern and immediately shrunk back from the blast of cold air that greeted them.

            "Gods it's cold in here!" Zidane muttered, wrapping his arms around himself in an effort to get warm.

            Garnet was glad she had the cloak that had dried while they sat by Evil Forest waiting for the airship. Unfortunately she couldn't stay glad when she saw Zidane shivering ahead of her. Pulling off the cloak she walked up behind him and wrapped it around his shoulders.

            For a moment he just stared at her in shock. Then he pulled it off and handed it back to her, "You keep it."

            She shook her head, "My dress keeps me warm enough, besides your shirt has no sleeves. You're going to catch a cold, and then how are you going to take me to Lindblum?"

            To her relief he flashed her a half smile, although the grief he felt was still evident in his eyes, "Thanks."

            "Don't worry about it."

            They walked in an uncomfortable silence, glancing unseeing at the ice-covered walls. The silence was eerie, but it suited the environment. Everything was so beautiful, but she was too distracted to take much notice.

            It wasn't long before a wall of ice blocked their path. Zidane sighed, "Now what? We're stuck here."

            Vivi walked up to the front. "Stand back, I'm going to use my fire magic to melt it."

            Zidane and Garnet moved back, giving him enough room to do the spell. With a sudden blast of heat and flames the wall melted, water pooling around their feet.

            Zidane started walking again, "Let's get moving before it freezes."

            In a matter of seconds they were walking along the stone floors. Garnet sighed, unsure of what to say. The silence was deafening, it was giving her too much time to think. It was time to start with the small talk.

            "So has Lindblum changed much? I haven't been there in about four years," Garnet said.

            "Not really, there's been a rumor about some airship that Regent Cid's developing. They claim it doesn't run on mist, but that's impossible," Marcus said.

            _Airships not run by mist?_ She thought, something tugging at the back of her mind. But before she could figure it out the thought was gone. With a sigh she turned her attention back to the conversation running around her.

            "…the Festival of the Hunt is coming up soon. Zidane, are you entering this year?" Cinna asked.

            "I haven't really thought about it. Probably not."

            "You should, you could win. There's no one in the three great nations who could beat you," Marcus said encouragingly.

            "I wouldn't be so sure of that," he looked to the ground.

            "You should enter, Zidane, I'd like to see you win," Garnet said with a smile.

          "Yeah Zidane, you should do it for your girlfriend," Blank said, a sly smile on his face, growing bigger as he watched Zidane and Garnet turn bright red out of the corner of his eye.

            Zidane liked her, of that Blank was certain. He didn't act like he normally did around girls. Usually he was using cheap pick-up lines to get their attention, but with Princess Garnet he was…different…there was no other way to explain it. There was something about the way they looked at each other.

            They had only met two days ago, but somehow it seemed as if they had known each other forever. Something about it….

            "Guys… I can't go on any longer…" Cinna said, sinking to the ground.

            "What's wrong?" Zidane asked, concerned.

            Cinna couldn't answer; he was unconscious before he hit the ground. In seconds they were crowded around him. Garnet and Zidane knelt beside him.

            "I think he's sleeping," Garnet told Zidane.

            "Everything that happened today must have taken a toll on him, why don't we all get some rest then," Zidane suggested.

            "That's the best idea you've had since I've known you," Blank joked. Zidane glared at him, which only made Blank laugh harder. "Do us a favor and don't get the Princess pregnant while we're asleep."

            "BLANK!" Zidane shouted, his voice echoing off the icy walls. His face was red; he could feel it. He didn't know why it embarrassed him so much, he was never embarrassed when Blank, Marcus, and Cinna joked with him about the other girls who had been a part of his life, but for some reason he was embarrassed when they joked about her.

            He pondered this as they settled down to rest on the stone floors. It wasn't very comfortable, but what choice did they have? Soon he and Garnet were the only ones awake.

            "So what was it like living in the palace?" Zidane asked.

            "It's not all it's cracked up to be. Everyone thinks that the life of a princess is a fairy tale, but it's not. You can't do anything you want to, it's all prim and proper," she told him.

            He opened his mouth to say something, but jerked himself upright, suddenly alert. Over the snorts and snores of his companions sleeping he thought he heard the soft sound of a bell.

            "Did you hear that?" he asked.

            "Hear what?" Garnet asked, looking confused.

            "Listen…"

            His ears seemed to hear everything ten times better than usual. After a moment he heard the tinkling of the bell.

            "Did you hear it?" he asked again.

            Garnet shook her head, "What's going on?"

            "Stay here," he said, getting to his feet.

            "Zidane…" she protested.

            "Keep an eye on them, I'll be right back. I'm just going to go see what that was."

            She watched him walk away, worried. What was going on? She was struck with indecision. She wanted to follow him, but at the same time she wanted to stay here and do as he said.

***

            Zidane wandered down the icy corridors. Every once in a while he heard the tinkling of the bell, drawing ever closer. At last the corridor opened into a large circular room, the walls here were also coated in ice. In the far back there was a type of ramp leading up to the outside. Good…they were almost out of the Ice Cavern's. He didn't know about the others, but he was getting pretty sick of ice.

            Looking around he soon found the source of the bell sound. Standing in front of him was a figure that looked like Vivi, only much taller. He wore a long patched coat and hat. In his hand he held a bell, which he tapped. It made a melodic tinkling sound.

            "At last you have shown up, I've been watching you progress through these caverns. But you and your companions will go no further. You will give me the Princess and the rest of you will die," the figure said.

            "What makes you so certain that I will give you the Princess?" Zidane asked.

            "I am Black Waltz 1, and no one can defeat me," the figure said, its arrogance was infuriating.

            "We'll see…" Zidane said, drawing his daggers.

            "Come to me, Sealion!" the Black Waltz said. The air to the right of the Black Waltz shimmered, and a giant sea lion appeared, "Let's see how tough you are now."

            The Sealion attacked before he could move. For a moment Zidane was frozen in a block of ice from his Blizzard attack. When the ice shattered he managed to mumble, "Yeah, I'm really getting sick of ice," before he shot out and slashed at the Sealion.

            The Black Waltz cast Blizzard on his minion, curing his wounds.

            "Shit," Zidane muttered as the Sealion used his wing attack, "I'm going to have to take out the Black Waltz first."

            Slashing at the Black Waltz he managed to do a decent amount of damage. He had definitely improved his skills since his last big battle. The Black Waltz cried out in pain.

            "You may be able to defeat me, but you will never be able to defeat my Sealion," the Black Waltz said, casting Blizzard on his minion again.

            The Sealion cast Blizzard, once again freezing Zidane in a block of ice. As soon as it had shattered he jumped at the Black Waltz once again doing a decent amount of damage. The Black Waltz fell to the ground, defeated, and disappeared.

            The Sealion bellowed in anger and struck him. He fell to one knee, knowing that if he didn't use a potion now he was done for. He dug through his pockets until he found one and used it right before the Sealion decided to attack again. He countered the attack and then went in for one of his own. He managed to deliver a massive blow to the creature's chest and the Sealion fell to the ground dead. He sighed with relief and turned to go back to Garnet.

            _You may have defeated number one, but two and three will defeat you_, a voice said from up above. Zidane quickly looked around but saw nothing.

            "I'd better get back to Garnet," Zidane said, after a moment.

***

            "What happened?" Garnet asked as soon as he lay back down next to her.

            "Nothing," he said, "I couldn't find anything, but we aren't far from the exit."

            "You were gone that long, and you didn't find anything?" she asked suspiciously.

            He nodded; he didn't want her to worry. If she knew that the soldiers and that weird Black Waltz thing was after her and they were inside the Ice Cavern who knew what she would do. Instead he would watch over her, and pretend nothing had happened.

A/N~ So there it is. In all it's glory. It could have been a lot better, but I was half asleep when I wrote it, though determined to get it uploaded today. Let me know what you think. I promise that this story will progress rapidly over break, if my mom releases me from the clutches of spring-cleaning. *shudder* So stay tuned for the next chapter, coming soon to a computer near you.


	10. More than She Expected

A/N~ Here I am again, on my computer, because I have nothing else to do. I wish I could actually go somewhere fun for Spring Break, but nope. So to occupy myself I'm gonna work on the next chapter. So here it is, in all its glory, clap your hands for the next chapter:

More than She Expected 

            Standing on the cliff outside the Ice Cavern they looked down upon a small village.

            "I think I've been there before. If I remember right the name of the village is Dali," Zidane said.

            "Do you think they have an inn? Sleeping on that stone floor killed my back," Marcus said.

            "I hope they have an inn," Cinna added.

            "They'll have an inn," Blank said.

            "Zidane, what if they recognize me?" Garnet asked, worriedly. She had come this far; she did not want to be dragged back to the palace before her adventure even truly began.

            "Take off that circlet and you won't be as noticeable."

            "I tried taking it off while we were still in Alexandria, but it wouldn't come off," she told him.

            Zidane walked up to her and held the circlet, gently trying pulling it off, but it wouldn't budge.

            "What the hell?" He muttered to himself as he pulled a little harder.

            "Ow!" Garnet winced, it seemed to be glued to her head.

            "Where did you get this?" Zidane asked, dropping his hands to his side and looking confused.

            "My mother gave it to Beatrix for me to wear to the wedding," Garnet told him.

            Zidane thought for a moment, "I guess you're just going to have to keep it on for now. Maybe we could find something in Dali to cut it off with. But we can't go around calling you Garnet. That's not a common name around here, and once word reaches places outside Alexandria that you're missing, they're going to become suspicious. We should go back to calling you Dagger. Is that okay?"

            Garnet nodded, it was the name he had chosen for her in Alexandria. She smiled, "I like that name."

            "Alright, this is really sweet and all, but we should get going to Dali now. It's going to be getting dark pretty soon, and I don't know about you, but I don't feel like fighting monsters in the dark," Cinna complained.

            The moment broken they made their way down the cliff and toward the village. For Dagger it was as if she had walked into paradise. For the first time her new found freedom hit her. Sure she had been free in Evil Forest and the Ice Caverns but she hadn't walked among people that were ignorant of her disappearance. They looked at her as if she was nothing but the commoner she appeared to be, and that was the best feeling in the world—besides kissing Zidane that is.

            On the other end of the village there was a windmill. She had heard of them, but had never actually seen one before. From the look on Vivi's face he had never seen one either.

            "There's the inn," Zidane said, "C'mon, let's get some rest."

            No one had enough energy to argue with him. Instead they followed him into the inn. The man sitting at the desk had his head in his arms and appeared to be sleeping. Zidane walked up and poked him, "Wake up."

            The man snapped his head up in surprise and looked around his eyes falling on Vivi, "What?"

            "We need a room," Zidane said, rolling his eyes.

            "Oh, right over there," the man said pointing at the door to the right.

            "Um. Thanks," Zidane replied, then he opened the door and turned to Dagger, "After you."

            "I'm sleeping in there…with all of you?" she asked tentatively.

            "Where else would you sleep?" he asked, puzzled.

            "But it's not proper!" she cried, her face burning. It was one thing sleeping in the same room with one man, but _five_?

            "These smaller inns only have one room, so there's nowhere else for you to stay," Zidane explained.

            "Don't worry Dagger you can sleep with me," Blank joked, but it lost the effect he had hoped for when he yawned.

            "You'll have your own bed, don't worry about that," Zidane said.

            Realizing that she really had no choice in the matter, she walked slowly into the room. The sound of booted feet followed her.

            The room was rather large with four beds set around it. Plants decorated the room. Otherwise it was quite plain. Zidane shut the door behind them.

            "Some of us are going to have to double up. I'm thinking Vivi and Cinna since they're the smallest, and Marcus and Blank," He said, walking over to stand by Dagger.

            "So you and the princess get your own beds. Why don't you just share one? We all know you want to," Marcus teased, laughing when their faces turned red. If they were alone and there was only one bed, everyone knew they would be sleeping together.

            Dagger walked over to one of the beds and sat down on it, withdrawing from the halfhearted teasing going on about her. She pulled off the soft leather boots that had been given to her by the lady at the inn in Alexandria and laid back on the bed, exhausted. She wasn't sure when she had fallen asleep, but she was undisturbed by the voices of her companions as they fought playfully.

***

            _Cool sea mist hit her in the face, awaking her from her doze. How could she have fallen asleep? She must have been knocked unconscious. What was happening? The last thing she remembered…on second thought she couldn't remember all that much._

_            A great red eye had opened in the sky above her home. Of that she could be certain. But everything else was a blur of echoing screams of panic. Thunder crashed around them, blocking everything else out with it rumbling. Lightning pierced the sky, but seemed like nothing at all compared to that great red eye. What was it? And why was everyone so scared?_

_            She turned in her seat. When had she gotten in the boat? She was being pelted by rain. When had it started raining? She hated the feeling of not knowing. Confusion was always her undoing. Staring back at the village as the small boat fought the great waves of the sea she could almost make out the buildings. The great red eye loomed above the village, and the air stank of impending death._

_            The eye glowed brighter, she screamed as everything exploding, engulfing in flames. She could almost hear the screams of the people she had grown up with as they died._

            NO! 

_            And still the small boat battled the great waves, taking her farther and farther away from the only place she had known. From the people she loved and would always cherish. From everything…_

***

            She awoke with a scream, looking around half expecting to be on a boat staring back at the burning inferno of her village. But just like every other time, it proved to be only a dream. Only a dream… Why did she even have that dream?

            For a moment she thought she was alone. Wrapping her arms around her knees she buried her head and cried. She never heard him come over to her, but she knew it was him when he wrapped his arms around her and held her in silence until her tears subsided.

            "What's wrong?" he asked, after a giving few moments while she collected herself.

            "Everything…" she said, "It's all my fault that Baku died, if you hadn't offered to take me to Lindblum it never would have happened. If I had just stayed at the palace and married Kuja I would have never ruined your life."

            He moved so that he was in front of her, gripping her arms he made her look into his eyes, "Don't blame yourself, Garnet. None of that was your fault. And you didn't ruin my life."

            "But…" she started, but he stopped her.

            "Baku once told me that everything happens for a reason. That no matter how small, nothing is irrelevant in this life. There was a reason that you got the urge to run from your wedding, maybe you don't see it now, but there is," he said.

            All at once she couldn't look him in the eyes anymore. Her gaze dropped to her lap and stayed there.

            What was it about him that attracted her to him? And what had ever happened to her feelings for Kuja? How could she care so much about one person, and then the next feel even stronger for another? 

            What was her mother planning to do about her disappearance? Surely she wasn't just going to let it go. Garnet was her only heir. Something told her she hadn't seen the last of her mother or Kuja.

            "Zidane, I want to apologize in advance for anything that may happen in the future. I don't mean to drag you into my mess," she said, dragging her eyes back to meet his.

            "Don't worry about it Princess, I love adventure. I have a feeling that this is going to be one interesting journey we have ahead of us," he told her, she caught a spark of the light in his eyes she had seen the first time she had met him on the docks of Alexandria. Somehow that seemed so long ago.

            She smiled, adrenaline coursing through her veins at the thought of finally being able to achieve her dream of seeing the world. Yes, it would be a very interesting adventure indeed. And she felt honored to have such a handsome companion. _If only I wasn't a princess_…

            He must have caught the way her thoughts had turned because before she could blink his lips were on hers. His soft lips and gentle tongue sent thrills of pleasure through her body. Now was not the time for if only's. Now was the time for them.

            His hands wandered along her body, cupping her breasts, as she pressed harder against him. One need pressured her, and she'd dammed if this time that need wasn't fulfilled. She wasn't only a princess. She was a human being, and she had needs that mattered too. This just happened to be one of them.

            She should have stopped him, should have told him that it wasn't right. But she wasn't thinking about what her mother would say if she found out, she wasn't thinking about her kingdom, or whether or not it was proper. It was about her this time.

            But instead he let her touch her in ways that she had only let one other man. Allowing him to go even further.

            She didn't remember when the clothes came off, but soon he was on top of her, exposed to her wandering eyes and hands. His skin was so soft but his body was hard. He was strong, and that was a major turn on for her. They contrasted so much. Her body was soft and delicate. But it just seemed right that way. They fit together so well.

            His hands reached lower and lower, his mouth burning trails of blazing kisses. She was drowning in the ecstasy of it all. She wanted him like she had never wanted anything in her life. She wanted him more than she wanted to be free from the castle. She wouldn't mind being imprisoned there forever as long as he was with her. As long as he could make her feel like this.

            And just when she thought she couldn't go another second without him pushing inside her, he slowly slid into her. At first it was nothing but pure ecstasy, but that changed as he pushed further, ripping her virginity away from her. It felt like she was being torn apart. She dug her nails into his back and screamed. She could feel hot tears running down her cheeks. He had been slow and gentle, but still it hurt like nothing she had ever felt before.

            He stopped still inside of her, "Gods Garnet, I'm sorry. I tried to be gentle."

            "I know. It'll pass." She said.

            Already she could the pain slowly ebbing away. To pass the time he teased her breasts, taking it in his mouth, flicking her nipple with his warm, wet tongue, until once again she could feel the heat of wanting him coursing through her veins.

            Slowly at first, but with rising urgency, he thrust deeply within her. All she seemed capable of doing was moaning and calling his name as she arched her hips and rose higher and higher into paradise.

            All at once she reached a point where she exploded. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Her nails dug deep half-moons into his back as she raised her hips one last time to capture his hot seed. It felt so good to have it burning inside of her.

            He pulled out and rolled over to lie next to her. He pulled her against him, with her head against his chest she could feel his jagged breathing.

            "Damn. I never thought it'd feel like that," he said, trying to slow his racing heart. For some reason he felt an odd completeness that he had never felt before.

            She couldn't reply, she was still gasping for breath. As she lay there she slowly began to realize what she had done. She had slept with a man she wasn't married to. 

What would her mother say? What if his friends caught them? What if…? Stop it! There's nothing I can do about it now! What's done is done; I will leave it at that, she thought, pressing herself closer to him.

***

            He stood outside the inn, looking in un-noticed through the window. She was there; he could see her. He didn't know who the man was with her, nor did he care. All that mattered to him was that she was there. And that she didn't see him watching her.

            "Vivi? What are you looking at?" a voice asked.

            Damn! His mind cried, he'd let his guard down and been noticed, though thankfully not by the princess. With a quick mutter under his breath he vanished.

            "That boy is so weird," the man said to himself before turning and wandering away.

***

            Footsteps outside the door stopped anything that might have ensued before it began. They both lunged for their discarded clothing, even though no one entered. They were better off not taking any chances.

            When they were dressed Zidane turned to her and held out his hand, "Let's go check out Dali!"

            She took his hand with a smile and he led her out of the inn. Looking around at the seemingly empty street she wondered aloud, "I wonder where everyone is… It's so quiet here."

            "I noticed that when we arrived here yesterday. The last time I was here the streets were busy, though not to Alexandria's extent. But now it looks deserted," Zidane replied.

            That's so strange… I wonder where everyone could be… This village isn't that large, so there wouldn't be many people normally, but to be completely deserted… Not even the owner of the inn is around, she thought to herself. She may not have had much experience with the world outside Alexandria Palace, but seeing a whole village nearly empty was improbable. Even Vivi and the group from Tantalus were nowhere to be found.

            "Let's ask the people in this shop here if they know where everyone is," Zidane suggested, leading her into a building across the cobblestone street from the inn.

            Inside were a bunch of objects that Dagger had never seen before. While she looked around Zidane walked up to the counter to talk to the owner. To his surprise, standing behind the counter staring up at him was a young girl no older than 13.

            "Hi, we're looking for the adults in this village," he said with a smile.

            "They aren't here," she said vaguely.

            "Can you tell me where I can find them?" he asked.

            "They're working."

            "Where?"

            To that she merely smiled and shrugged. Something about her ambiguous behavior sent warning bells of in his mind. Something here wasn't as it seemed.

            "Zidane…" Dagger said, coming up to him and sliding her arm through his. Biting her lip she led him from the shop without another look at the girl standing behind the counter.

            As soon as they stepped outside he turned to her, "What's wrong?"

            "I think something happened to Vivi…" She said, a look of confusion on her face.

            "Why would you think that?" Whatever he had thought she was going to say it wasn't that.

            "When we were in the shop I was looking out the window. I saw him standing by the well. At first I didn't think anything of it, but then someone grabbed him and dragged him away," she explained nervously.

            "C'mon!" he said, turning and walking quickly over to the well. She followed without another word.

            The well stood near the center of the village. Not far was the other edge of town where a small garden stood. Dagger could see an old woman wandering among the crops. They both stood by the well listening intently.

            Kweh!

            "What was that?" she asked anxiously.

            "Chocobo," he replied.

            "A Chocobo? What's it doing in a well?"

            Zidane shrugged, "Which way did they drag him?"

            She pointed towards a building to their left. Zidane led the way and was just about to open the door when they heard a sniffling sound.

            On the ground near the building was a small pipe sticking out of the ground. "Vivi?"

            "Zidane…" came a muffled voice.

            "Vivi! Where are you?" Dagger asked.

            "I dunno…" he said, nearly hysterical.

            "Don't worry Vivi, we'll get you out."

            He opened the door to the building, waiting for her to enter.

            "Hang on Vivi!" She said encouragingly.

            To the left of the door there was a trapdoor leading underground, "I think that's what we want," Zidane said, opening it. He grabbed the ladder and started heading down. Once again she followed him.

            Standing once again on solid ground she looked around and saw that they were now in interconnected tunnels underneath the city, "This is probably where everyone is."

            "I think I hear some voices coming from over here," he said, indicating the tunnel in front of them. Grabbing her hand they started walking down the stonewalled tunnel.

            It wasn't long before the tunnel opened up into a cavern. A wooden building was to their left, the source of the voices they heard. Three men were having a conversation in there. Ducking behind a couple barrels they were able to listen in un-noticed. Dagger hoped that Zidane was paying attention, because she was distracted by the design on the outside of the barrels.

            "…how did this one get out there?" A man asked, scratching his head. Surely one of them would have noticed it functioning. They only manufactured them; they didn't activate them.

            "I don't know, let's just stick it in today's shipment," came the reply.

            "It's a good thing the Mayor's brother saw it before it got away," the third man said, which was met with heartfelt agreement. They walked out of the building, Vivi in tow. Zidane prepared to spring after them, but Dagger stopped him.

            "What?" he asked, once the group was out of earshot.

            "These barrels…I've seen them at the palace…" she muttered. Why would mother be having barrels delivered from here? I have to find out!

            Something didn't seem right about this place. She had a feeling that whatever she found out here she wasn't going to like. But she had to know what it was. Maybe it would give her the answer she was looking for. Maybe she would finally find out why her mother was acting so weird.

            "Let's go," she said, following the group of men, who were now out of sight.

            Once again the tunnel opened into a cavern. This one was full of boxes and barrels, all with the same design as the barrels in the other room. For the most part everything was silent. Except for the snuffling coming from the box on their right.

            "Vivi?" they both cried.

            "Zidane? Dagger?" came the reply.

            "Hang on, we'll get you out," Zidane said, hurrying over to the box. In a matter of moments the lid was off and Vivi was standing before them.

            "I didn't think you would find me."

            "We couldn't leave without you," Dagger said with a smile.

            "What did they do to you?" Zidane asked.

            "Nothing much, they just were talking and then they shoved me in the box. Zidane, I want to check this place out more," he said.

            "So do I," Dagger added.

            Zidane nodded, "Let's go."

            They continued through the tunnels until once again it opened into a large Cavern. Coming from the depths of the machine was a conveyer belt carrying—

            "Eggs?" Zidane asked, scratching his head.

            Dagger shrugged. If they followed the machine they were bound to get the answer they were looking for. A tunnel ran alongside the machine, which disappeared into the wall. Walking along the tunnel they watched the conveyer belt until it ran back into the machine.

            Once again the path in front of them opened into the cavern, and the conveyer belt came back out of the machine. Instead of eggs however, there were dolls… dolls with a striking resemblance to Vivi.

            Zidane and Dagger exchanged glances while Vivi stared unmoving at the conveyer belt. Only the sound of voices heading towards them made Zidane grab him and beckon for Dagger to follow him behind a couple of barrels.

***

            Marcus opened to door to the inn's room. He, Blank, and Cinna had been looking all over the place for Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi, but they were nowhere to be found.

            "Zidane?" Marcus called for the heck of it, but received no answer.

            Dammit, where were they. There was no way they could have left them behind. Zidane was his bro; he wouldn't do that. They had be somewhere in the village. And the children weren't helping. Every time he, Blank, or Cinna asked them if they had seen Zidane, Dagger, or Vivi, they just smiled and shrugged. The same went when they were asked about the adults in the village.

            "Where are you, Zidane?"

***

            The man looked around, standing exactly where they had stood just seconds before. "I thought I heard something…." He muttered before turning and heading back to the other side of the room.

            Zidane poked his head around the barrel, "They're not paying attention, let's go."

            He led them back over to the machine. 

"What do you think they're doing?" Vivi asked.

            "I don't know. But I have a feeling this is all connected to my mother," Dagger said.

            Footsteps approached them followed by a man's voice, "I'm telling you, there is someone over here."

            Zidane cursed realizing there was no time to dive behind the safety of barrels and boxes. There was only one choice. Picking up Vivi and Dagger he jumped onto the conveyer belt. Laying flat on their stomachs they wouldn't be noticed.

            Unfortunately the conveyer belt ran back into the machine, which was putting the dolls into boxes. And it was looming closer and closer…

A/N~ Alright, it's there in all it's glory. And let me tell you this chapter was a pain in my royal ass. ^^ But it's done now. So keep checking back for the next chappy!


	11. The Second Black Waltz

A/N~ *sings* I'm back! And I'm ready to make this the best chapter ever! *cough cough* Well, I'm going to attempt it anyway. Sorry it took so long. No I didn't get bored, so don't think that's it. I've had a lot going on. I'm an Army chicka now. (Woohoo!) Anyway…. Here goes:

The Second Black Waltz

            "What are you doing?" Dagger asked as she watched Zidane push against the side of the box. They had been trapped in this box for nearly five minutes and already it was getting hard to breathe.

            "I'm trying to knock it over. Push against the side with me," he told them.

            Vivi and Dagger pressed their shoulders against the same side of the box Zidane was and pushed. The box fell, shattering against the ground. Somewhere along the line they had gotten moved outside. They were at the edge of the village now, boxes were piled all around, and sometime while they were underground an airship had arrived.

            "There you are!" came a shout. They looked up to see Marcus, Blank, and Cinna hurrying towards them.

            "What have you guys been doing? We've been looking all over for you," Blank said.

            "There're some weird things going on around here. The adults are all working in a factory underground. They mistook Vivi for one of the weird dolls they're manufacturing down there, so me and Dagger had to go save him," Zidane replied.

            Cinna opened his mouth to say something but stopped and instead looked at something over Zidane's shoulder.

            "Princess…you will come with me," a voice said from behind him.

            Zidane turned to see the Black Waltz he had fought in the Ice Cavern. Or was it? It looked a little different.

            "Not you again," Zidane said.

            "You've seen this before?" Dagger asked, looking at him in surprise.

            The Black Waltz shook his head, "You fought and defeated Black Waltz #1. I am Black Waltz #2 and I will not be defeated so easily. You will give up the Princess now or prepare to die."

            Zidane pulled out his twin daggers, "Over my dead body."

            The Black Waltz changed his hold on his spear to a fighting position, "My pleasure."

            In unison the Black Waltz and Zidane lunged at each other slashing faster than Dagger could blink. After they hit the ground again they didn't move for several heartbeats, the Black Waltz fell to the ground and disappeared. Zidane grinned then dropped to one knee, a bloody slash across his chest.

            "Zidane!" Dagger cried, running up to kneel beside him. If something happened to him she didn't know what she'd do.

            "It's nothing," he told her, "Just a scrape."

            She ignored him, placing her hands along the cut. Blood trickled through her fingers, but she didn't care. Closing her eyes in concentration, white light engulfed her hands and spread across his chest, then vanished, along with the cut. The ripped, blood covered shirt the only evidence that there had once been a slash there.

            "Thank you," he said, getting to his feet. He held out his hand to help her up, which she accepted with a smile and blush, which did not go unnoticed by Blank, Cinna, and Marcus.

            "Maybe we shouldn't have left them alone this morning," Cinna joked.

            "I wonder if they were really sleeping or in fact waiting for us to all leave," Marcus said with a laugh.

            "I think they need a chaperone with them to make sure that they aren't getting too attached, if you know what I mean," Blank added.

            At that the trio burst out laughing. Zidane and Dagger both turned red and Vivi was torn between sympathy for them and amusement.

            "Where do you think this airship is heading?" Zidane asked loudly to change the subject.

            "I don't know," Cinna, the first to recover, replied wiping his eyes.

            "Why don't we just get on and see," Dagger suggested, anxious to get out of there. She had had enough excitement for one day. Now she just wanted to get to Lindblum and take her little vacation from there.

            One by one they filed up the ladder and entered the airship. Almost immediately the airship kicked to life as if it had been waiting for them to get on.

            "Well, I guess that settles that," Cinna said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

            No one replied as they were to busy watching the figures moving rapidly around the ship without even passing a glance at the intruders.

            "They're moving…" Dagger said in surprise.

            Vivi took a few small steps forward, staring enraptured at the moving dolls. After a moment of hesitation he seemed to have come to a decision. He walked up to the nearest doll, "Excuse me…"

            The doll walked away as if it hadn't heard him. Vivi stared after it for a few seconds then followed, "Hello?"

            Once again the doll walked away from him. This time, however, Vivi did not go after him. Instead he turned and walked back to the small group of people he had arrived with.

            "They move, but I don't think they're really alive…" Cinna said.

            Zidane shook his head, "I guess I better go see where this ship is heading."

            He walked past the dolls, who acted as if they didn't see him, and climbed the ladder built onto the far wall. As soon as he reached the deck he looked around. Near the bow of the stern of the airship there was a cabin-like structure with large glass windows. Inside he could see one of the strange dolls steering the ship. He walked to the bow and looked over the side. From the way they were moving he knew they were heading for Alexandria…the complete opposite direction of the way he wanted to go.

            "Looks like we're going to have to hijack the ship," Zidane said with a smile. He felt the old bandit attitude he harbored before meeting Garnet rise to the surface. He walked to the glass cabin and entered it. The smell of mist was strong here because the structure also held part of the mist engine.

            The doll acted as if it didn't notice his presence. Zidane stood there for a moment, thoughtfully coming up with the best way to hijack the airship. He glanced around and saw that the others had not come up from below. "No reason to show off then…oh well. I guess plain and simple will just have to do." That said to no one in particular he walked up and gently pushed the doll out of the way and took hold of the wheel, then proceeded to turn the ship around and head towards Lindblum.

            After about five minutes the rest of the group came up to see what was going on. Everyone but Zidane and Dagger were standing on the deck staring out at the vast stretches of land far below them. The doll that Zidane had stolen the wheel from stood quietly to one side of the cabin watching him steer it. From the blank look in it's eyes it was either unaware that the ship had been hijacked or it didn't care. This was fine with Zidane because he didn't really feel up to any more excitement today. He just wanted to deliver Dagger safely to Lindblum. Well…he wouldn't mind a little more alone time with her. Perhaps when they got to Lindblum…

            "Are we heading the right way?" Dagger asked.

            Zidane nodded, "We were heading for Alexandria, but I turned the ship around. Want to steer it for a minute?"

            Dagger looked surprised, a hint of color coming to her cheeks, "I couldn't. I don't know how."

            "Come here and I'll show you," Zidane said, lifting one hand from the wheel for her to take. She smiled, and he marveled at how it lit up her face and made her look like a goddess of legend. Oh, how he wanted her then. She took his hand and he gently pulled her to stand in front of him and placed her hands on the wheel where his had been just seconds before and placed his around her waist, "All you have to do is hold the wheel steady."

            "That shouldn't be too hard," she said, glancing back at him with the same bright smile. It lit up her chestnut colored eyes and threatened to arouse him.

            "It's a shame…" he said softly.

            "What is?" she asked.

            "That it's not a challenge for you. Maybe I can fix that." That said he began to nibble gently on her ear while moving his hands up toward her wonderfully full breasts. She gasped as he kissed his way to her neck and slid his hands down her bodice, gently kneading her breasts with his hands.

            "Zidane…." she said softly, not daring to take her hands off the wheel when what her body was screaming for her to do was turn around and return the favor. She could feel the bulge of his erection pressing against her back. She wanted to feel him thrusting deep inside her. If only…

            Suddenly a huge explosion rocked the ship, breaking her from her thoughts. Zidane's grip tightened painfully in his attempt to keep her from falling over. The wheel spun dangerously, and the ship swerved sharply to the right, sending many of the occupants falling to the floor.

            "Are you okay Dagger?" Zidane asked, his tone worried.

            "Yes. I'm fine," she replied, though she didn't feel fine. Her heart hammered in her chest. Something horrible was about to happen.

            "Good. Stay here and steer the ship. Take it right through the South Gate. Whatever happens, don't let it get off track," he said, before rushing out onto the deck. The rest of his companions had managed to pull themselves to their feet.

            "What the hell was that?" Cinna asked.

            Blank, the closest to the port edge looked over the side. A huge smoking hole had been blown into the side, "We've been shot at."

            "By who?" Marcus asked, "There's no one out here but us."

            "That's where you'd be wrong."

            Descending from the sky came a disgustingly familiar sight. Blue shocks of electricity ran across its body, but the Waltz was still alive.

            "Don't you guys ever just give up?" Zidane asked.

            The Waltz however did not get the chance to answer, for at that moment a swarm of the formally uncaring dolls came up the ladder to stand in between the Waltz and Zidane and his companions.

            "Well, well. Isn't this interesting? It seems this batch is defective. I suppose I better get rid of them," the Waltz said, lifting his left hand. A ball of black light formed around his hand and shot the dolls. It hit the one in the center and exploded outwards, sending them all tumbling over the edge. 

            Vivi ran to the edge looking horrified. They were so like him and he had so many things he wanted to ask them. This was the first time they had actually reacted to something around them, and he had hoped that he would have the chance to find out something from them, and now that had been ripped away from him. A worn hat from one of the dolls drifted to land at his feet. It was slightly scorched from the explosion but had managed to escape mostly unscathed.

            His eyes held the hat for several long moments; anger surging through him and raising to the surface with such intensity it scared him. And then something inside him snapped. The air around him shimmered with blue light and a force so strong formed within him that the air around him trembled. He let it grow stronger for several moments before releasing it at the Black Waltz. It hit him square in the chest and knocked him over the bow edge. Zidane ran to the edge and watched him fall toward the ground before turning and staring at Vivi in awe. The kid was a lot stronger than he let on.

            "What the hell…?" Marcus breathed and stared at the mage in wonder. A lot of things hadn't made sense since they had been dragged into this mess and they just kept getting weirder as time passed.

            Once more an explosion rocked the ship sending them sprawling to the hard wooden deck. Dagger had been knocked to the floor and the wheel spun out of control. She got to her feet and fought to get the ship back on course.

            "Gods damn, this thing will not die!" Zidane yelled as he caught sight of the Black Waltz in pursuit of them. It flew faster than they could imagine, quickly gaining on the airship and raising itself so it had a clear shot at Vivi.

            "Look out!" Zidane cried as the Waltz once more conjured light around his hand and took aim at Vivi.

            "I claim revenge!" The Waltz said, and used its attack.

            And just when it seemed that all would be lost, salvation came for Vivi. "Get down!" Blank yelled and pushed him to the ground, catching the attack in his side. His eyes widened in surprise. Several startled cries rang from around the deck as the force of the attack pushed him over the edge. Blank was gone. In two days, two members of Tantalus were lost.

            So shocked, were the remaining members of Tantalus and Vivi that they didn't notice that as they shot through the quickly closing South Gate, the Black Waltz slammed into the steel door and exploded.


	12. A meeting with the Regent

A/N~ Hmmm…. I'm really sorry that it took me that long to get that last chapter up there. I had half of this chapter written and when I pushed save my computer froze and I lost the whole thing, so that sucked. But I intend to be completely loyal to updating. Until July that is. Hopefully I'll be done by then. If I'm not…well, then I guess I have some big decisions to make. And if you're really bored or you like this fic, check out my songfic "The Dream". Anyway, here goes the next chapter:

A meeting with the Regent

            They landed in the airship dock of Lindblum castle in silence. Everyone felt the loss of Blank. Two members of Tantalus lost in as many days. They hadn't fully finished grieving for Baku. It was too soon.

            Cinna and Marcus said goodbye to Vivi, Zidane, and Dagger after they left the ship, saying that they had to go back to headquarters and let people know that both Baku and Blank were gone. They promised they would stop by and visit later. It was a sad departure and made the loss of Blank seem more real somehow.

            Dagger led Zidane and Vivi through the palace in silence. They were the recipients of several strange looks from palace guards, nobles, and servants. As they approached the lift that would take them up to the throne room a group of guards stopped them.

            "You can't go past this point," the commander of the group of guards said.

            "Why not?" Dagger said, assuming the authority that was expected of the Princess of Alexandria.

            "Only nobles and important visitors for the regent may pass this point," the commander said indignantly.

            "I'm Princess Garnet til Alexandros, I am an important visitor, now let me pass," Dagger said.

            The commander only shook his head; his disbelief was evident in his face, "You're not the princess of Alexandria. Rumor has it she died after she disappeared from the palace. In fact, the head of the Knights of Pluto is here. He just entered a meeting with the regent."

            "Steiner is here?" this wasn't going to go as planned after all. Was nothing going to go right for her on this journey? Steiner was going to drag her kicking and screaming back to Alexandria if he knew that she was here.

***

            Steiner stood before the regent, only just recently assured that the thing sitting upon the throne actually was the regent. He had only just arrived in Lindblum, desperate to get this over with and continue searching everywhere on the Mist Continent for the Princess if she wasn't hear. He came to request the use of Lindblum's palace guards to comb through the entire city. The Queen wanted Garnet returned to the palace. Steiner grimaced at the memory. "Bring her back by any means necessary. Even if she's at the brink of death." He knew that his Queen hadn't seriously meant that, she was just worried about the safety of her daughter. Steiner was a naïve, naïve man.

            "I've come in search of Princess Garnet. She's disappeared from the palace, kidnapped by a bunch of ruffians. Have you seen her?" Steiner asked.

            "Are you sure she wants to be found?" the regent asked.

            "Of course she wants to be found! She was kidnapped!" Steiner shouted, nearly losing control of his temper. He took a deep breath. The regent would never allow him use of his guards to search for the Princess if he started yelling at him.

            "That's not what I heard. Rumor has it that she ran from her own wedding," the regent said, "Maybe if you just give her time, she'll return on her own."

            "I can't give her time, the Queen wants her returned to the palace at once!" 

            The regent nodded to himself, "There's your problem right there. The Queen wants her back at the palace. What about what the princess wants?"

            That time Steiner did lose his temper; he began jumping up and down in anger, his armor clanking loudly shouting insults at the regent who sat there looking unperturbed.

***

            "Look, I really need to see the regent. It's important," Dagger said, beginning to get annoyed. She had been standing here for nearly half an hour arguing with the commander of the palace guard.

            "I told you, only nobles or people with important—" the commander started.

            "And I told you that I'm Princess Garnet of Alexandria! Now I demand that you let me through!" She shouted back, finally losing her patience.

            "That's it, I'm placing you under arrest," the commander said, signaling for the guards to grab her and her companions.

            "What? You can't arrest us!" Zidane cried.

            "I just did," the commander said smugly, watching as the guards grabbed them with rough hands.

***

            Over the shouts from the head of Alexandria's Knights of Pluto Regent Cid became aware of some other commotion in another part of the palace. "What is that?"

            Steiner stopped, looking puzzled, hearing it also, "Allow me to check it out. I'll be back."

            That said, he turned and hurried away, his armor clinking loudly. The regent let out a sigh of relief. That man could get irritating after a while.

***

            Just as the guards turned to drag them away, the lift came to life and Steiner appeared from the upper level. He stared around at the group of people massed around the lift before his eyes landed on Garnet. For a moment he stood there staring at her before shouting, "Princess, thank the gods that you're safe! Release her!"

            The guards immediately let them go. Garnet sighed with relief, rubbing the pain away the pain in her wrists, "Steiner."

            "Come Princess, it's time you went home."

            Garnet shook her head, knowing that he was going to be adamant that she returned, but she wasn't ready to go back, "I'm not going back yet."

            "Your place is at the palace," he balked.

            "My place is here, with Zidane and my friends," she argued, "I'm not ready to return the palace and I won't be until I've sent the world."

            "This is foolishness," Steiner said, "I demand you return at once."

            "Hey, she said she wasn't going with you. Just deal with it," Zidane said.

            "You keep out of it. You're probably the one who started this in the first place," Steiner said, an angry look passing between the two before he turned back to Princess Garnet, "You are supposed to be getting married to Kuja, now please, I beg you. Come back to Alexandria with me."

            Garnet shook her head again, "I already told you, I'm not going back. Now, I want to see the regent."

            "Of course, your highness," the commander of the guard said, escorting her to the lift. She got in and turned to Zidane.

            "I'm going to go into Lindblum, I'll meet up with you later," he said. Garnet nodded and they stood for a moment just looking into the other's eyes until the guard pressed the lever and the lift disappeared into the upper level.

***

            Kuja angrily paced the Princess' empty chambers. He had been so close. But she had slipped through his fingers. He thought that he had had her so enthralled with him that she wouldn't try a stunt like that. He had made a terrible miscalculation. This was going to cost him precious time. 

            He stopped in front of the stool that sat before her vanity. Draped across was the dress she had cast aside before jumping into the moat. He picked it up, remembering how she had looked in the dress. So completely enchanting. He had thought that she would be his.

            In a fit of temper he threw the dress aside and resumed his pacing. He knew where she was. He knew that he could get her back. But there was something holding him back. The blond man she traveled with…there was something familiar about him. Ah, it didn't matter.

            He glanced at the bed, memories of the morning that he had spent with her there. If only they hadn't been interrupted she would have been his. He had lusted after her since the first day he had entered the court, never able to have. He had played his part well and soon had her lusting after him as well, to the point where she had been willing to give him everything she had. Then this happened. He sighed, knowing that eventually he would have his canary back. This time there would be no escape for her. At that, he left the chamber, slamming the door behind him. He had more important things to do than stand around.

***

            Garnet stood, staring at the throne in disbelief, "Uncle Cid? What happened to you?"

            Staring back at her was an oglop, who claimed to be the regent, "It's a long, sad tale. Basically, Hilda caught me with another woman, and in her anger she turned me into an oglop. Then she stole my airship and disappeared," an expression of sadness crossed his face, "but you didn't come all this way to hear the woes of an old man. How was your journey?"

            Garnet looked at the ground, "It could have been a lot better. I thought everything would be fine but that's not the way it happened," she said, then told him everything about her journey.

            "This confirms some of my fears. That your mother would go to such lengths to shoot down an airship in an attempt to search for you makes me wonder. Baku and Blank were good men." 

            Garnet nodded, "Uncle Cid, something's wrong with my mother. She's been different ever since dad died."

            "Your father was a great man, very honest and true. I can imagine that she would be very sad with his passing. But this is more than simple grief," the regent said.

            "I'm worried about her. She's pressing for me to get married. And in Dali we saw all these weird puppets that's she's having manufactured and sent to the palace…" Garnet said, trailing off into her own thoughts.

            "She's become very greedy as of late. There's a fear that she's planning an attempt to conquer all of the Mist Continent. That would mean civil war," the regent replied, breaking her from her thoughts with a gasp.

            "You don't think she would really do that, do you?"

            The regent shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I hope not however. This land has been at peace for a very long time. I would hate to see it go to war in my lifetime, or it anyone's lifetime."

            Garnet nodded, understanding completely. To see the world go to war would be a terrible thing indeed. She had seen enough death and destruction to last her a lifetime. If only there was some way she could help. Some way that she could reach her mother and stop it.

A/N~ So there it is. Isn't it beautiful? Thanks to everyone who's reviewed to my story so far. I really appreciate it. *bows* I feel so loved! ^^


	13. The Festival of the Hunt

A/N~ hurray! I finally got to this chapter. I've been trying to get here for I don't know how long. Lol. Well, here goes. I'm gonna warn you now so you won't start in on me again like some of you did about Evil Forest. This fic is how I would have had the game go; it's not supposed to go exactly the way the actual game went. That would be completely pointless. I wouldn't waste my time on something like that and more than likely you guys would waste your time reading it. Everything happens for a reason in this fic and if you'd give it some time, you'll understand.  Also, there is a fairly graphic sexual scene in this chapter, so don't say I didn't warn you.

Festival of the Hunt

            Just as night was falling Dagger sat on a bed in the room the regent had given her, Zidane, and Vivi to use. So far she was the only one in there. Zidane and Vivi were still wandering around Lindblum. She sighed, a feeling of loneliness consuming her. Sure, she had Steiner to keep her company, but whenever she spoke to him he attempted to talk her into returning to Alexandria. She wasn't going back there. Not yet anyway. If only there was a way she could give up her right to someday rule Alexandria. Now that she lived a life of relative simplicity she didn't want to go back to the rules and stiffness of Alexandria court.

            "Princess Garnet?" Steiner said, entering the room. Eventually Dagger had gotten had so sick of listening to him she had sent him to guard the door. She stifled a sigh and looked up.

            "Yes Steiner?" She managed to ask without showing her annoyance.

            "There's some blonde man outside claiming that he's with you and—" he started, but the door burst open behind him and Zidane entered.

            "Hey, Dagger. What's up with Sir Rust-a-lot?" Zidane asked, glancing over at Steiner before gazing deeply into her eyes, his smile lit up his face and for a moment her heart stopped. It was a good feeling. She certainly never thought that she would fall in love, but she had.

            "What??" Steiner shouted before Dagger could answer.

            "Your armor. It's covered in rust. Don't you ever clean it? I bet it smells really bad too," Zidane started. Dagger brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. "I mean that's pretty nasty. You work for Alexandria's royal family. I think they deserve a little better than you've been giving them. Here's an idea, how about you go into Lindblum and get some new armor."

            Underneath his helmet Steiner's face had colored to a beet red and Dagger recognized this as a prelude to one of his many temper tantrums, "Why you insolent fool! Do you even know who you are talking to? I am the commander of the Knights of Pluto! How dare you insult me like that! I should have you hanged!"

            Behind him Dagger rolled her eyes, which Zidane didn't fail to notice. He gave her a lopsided grin, which suited his nature so well. She blushed and turned her head to hide it. Zidane's grin widened and seeing this Steiner instantly began to jump up and down, his armor clanking loudly, thinking that the grin was directed toward him. Immediately his ranting became louder and more annoying. Zidane sighed loudly and held out a hand.

            "Just chill Rusty. Geez. Do you mind if I call you Rusty?" Zidane asked, sending a wink toward Dagger.

            "Yes!" Steiner said, stomping his foot loudly.

            "Good. So anyway Rusty, maybe if you just cleaned your armor once in a while people would respect you more and wouldn't have to resort to pointing it out in ways such as calling you Sir Rust-a-lot or Rusty to get you to notice. I would certainly both appreciate it and respect you more if you would just take an hour and clean off that rust. You know what I'm saying?" Zidane said, his grin enormous. He clearly enjoyed teasing Steiner. Dagger couldn't hold back her laughter any longer and it filled the chamber, Zidane's laughter adding to it until it echoed off the walls. Steiner turned to her, a look of astonishment on his face.

            "Princess, are you going to allow this flagrant disrespect toward Alexandria?" he asked.

            "Steiner, I don't believe he meant any of that towards Alexandria. I believe it was all directed towards you," she replied.

            It was the only thing that kept him from throwing another temper tantrum. His stance lost all of it's anger and he paled slightly, "I'll go guard the door," he said, completely forgetting the whole reason he had come into the room in the first place was to protest the fact that she had every intention of sharing the chambers with Zidane.

            "Finally!" Dagger said, laying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. "He's been driving me insane. 'We need to return to Alexandria immediately! Your mother waits anxiously for your return to both her and your fiancée!' I don't want to go back."

            Zidane came over and lay down on the bed beside her, "You know, you don't have to go back. You can stay here with me. We can be happy together."

            Dagger felt tears form in her eyes, she rolled away from him and said softly, "I have to go back eventually." Briefly she wondered how her mother would react if she married Zidane anyway and then returned to the palace. More than likely she wouldn't tolerate it and would annul the vows and force her to marry Kuja.

            Behind her Zidane sighed, "I know. I wish you didn't have to though. I—"

            Dagger rolled over and gazed into his eyes. She could see what he wanted to say written in his face so clearly. She smiled, "I love you too."

            "Then let's enjoy what time we do have together and forget that one day you're going to leave and go back to the palace," he said, silencing her reply with a deep and passionate kiss.

            Eventually she pulled back, feeling the tears in her eyes again, "It's not fair." This time she couldn't keep them from falling.

            He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and just holding her, "I know."

            "It's not fair to you. Basically all I'm ever going to be to you is a big tease. Something that you truly care about but you can't have!" she said, trying to pull away from him, but he held her tight.

            "No. As long as you're out of the palace, I'm not ever going to let you go," he said, wiping her tears away with his fingertips.

            Dagger sighed softly, he was right. Who knew how much time that they would have before she had to leave him to return to the palace and her duty as heir to the throne? They might as well enjoy it, reveling in the love they had found while they could. She kissed him then, putting every bit of emotion into it as she could and he kissed her back, every bit as passionately. Desire flooded through her then, and she knew that if she couldn't have it all at that moment, she would never have the chance to get it again. She tore at the stays on her gown, almost ripping it in her eagerness to get it off. As soon as it lay crumpled on the floor she tore at his clothes until he was every bit as naked as she.

            "Dagger…" he moaned, reaching for her, but she pushed his hands down on the bed. This was her night. She was going to have him and she was going to take control. She got on top of him, sliding onto his long, thick erection, a low moan escaping her throat. She rode him then, slowly at first, and then faster as her desire mounted, never to be fully sated. She didn't know exactly why she needed to feel his seed inside her, but it was what she wanted at that moment more than anything else in the world.

            "Zidane…" she cried softly, leaning down to kiss him. At that moment they climaxed, his hot seed spilled inside her and she cried out in triumph. She lay down alongside him, holding him tightly to her, shaking slightly.

            He glanced over at her, "You don't think I'm done with you yet now do you? I still have a long way to go until I'm satisfied."

            "Oh really?" she asked with a smile.

            "Really," he replied, leaning over her to begin his work.

***

            Kuja paced her chamber once more, then stopped by the window, a feeling so strong and so…terrible…suddenly consuming him. No! It couldn't be possible. He turned and thrust the window open, staring out into the cool night. He could hear the crickets chirping nearby, but he ignored them, driven by the feeling he had. She wouldn't…

            He stretched out a tendril of his power, reaching…searching for her life force. He could feel her, feel the depth of her passion, feel what she had done.

            "Bitch!" he screamed into the darkness, slamming a fist through the glass pane of the window. It shattered onto the floor and fell to the pavement below. Blood fell from the newly opened wounds on his hand, but he didn't notice. He was consumed by the rage he felt.

            "Oh my daring canary. You think that you may have won this time. But I shall have you, and just wait until I do…"

***

            Dagger dug her fingers into his back. The way he was nibbling on her ear, oh so gently, was building the desire in her. Slowly he made his way down to her shoulders, and then to her breasts. He swirled the tip of his tongue around her nipple, before moving over to give the other the same treatment.

            The way he was making her feel was amazing. In Dali he had only caused a tenth of what she was feeling now. "Zidane…" she moaned.

            "I'm just getting started," he said, pausing to look up at her before continuing the trail of kisses and nibbles down to her belly. He swirled the tip of her tongue into her bellybutton before lifting his head to blow cool air gently down. She arched her back as her desire increased. "Zidane…" she moaned again. This time he trailed gentle nibbles around her bellybutton in reply, then moved back up to her neck.

            As he began to nibble on her ear, his fingers trailed down her body, before disappearing in-between her legs. She moaned, pressing her body tightly against his to show him that she wanted him to enter her with his manhood. She could feel it pressed against her belly.

            "Not yet, love. You're not ready," he said.

            "Yes I am…" she protested.

            The only answer she got was the pleasure he was causing from both his mouth and his fingers. It was coming at her in waves, building slowly. If she thought that she wanted him earlier, that was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. She wanted to feel him inside her, thrusting until finally, they climaxed. She moaned again at the thought.

            As if that was what he was waiting for he stopped his attack on her ear and withdrew his fingers. But instead of giving her what she wanted he instead went down and began to use his tongue instead of his fingers.

            "Gods this isn't fair…" she said softly, digging her fingers into his hair. She arched her back again with a cry. She was so close to her climax.

            He must have realized that for at last he stopped and looked up at her. He had a wide grin on his face, and she looked down at him, frustration written in her eyes. "Now, you're ready."

            And then he was inside her; finally giving her what she wanted with a fierceness she hadn't felt before. She returned it with a fierceness of her own, digging her fingernails in-between his shoulder blades and sinking her teeth into his shoulders to keep herself from screaming. It wouldn't do to have Steiner come bursting in here thinking someone was trying to assassinate her or something. He didn't mind, in fact, it only served to turn him on more. That had been his intent in the first place.

            He continued to thrust into her until finally they climaxed. Once again his seed spilled into her. This time she could feel it burning inside her as it never had before. A feeling of tranquility fell over her, and she sighed softly, falling asleep in Zidane's arms.

***

            The next morning Vivi made his way back to the palace. He had decided to stay in the inn last night, remembering the way the palace guards had treated him in Alexandria. He didn't feel like being accused of kidnapping the princess again, even though in the end he had played a small part in it.

            He found Zidane, Dagger, and that rusty knight that had stopped the palace guards from arresting them the day before standing near the lift.

            "There you are!" Zidane said, a smile coming across his face, "We were wondering where you got to. Dagger wanted to send the palace guard out looking for you."

            "I felt more comfortable staying in the inn. Besides, I figured you two would like some time alone," he said with a laugh as a blush stained the cheeks of his two companions.

            Dagger quickly changed the subject, "Perhaps we should go up to the regent. The festival is about to begin."

            As they all crowded onto the lift Zidane turned back to Vivi, "Are you going to compete?"

            "I-I dunno…" he replied shyly.

            "You should. Your fire magic is amazing! I'm sure you have a good chance at winning," Dagger added.

            "Really?"

            "Yeah! You'd do great!" Zidane told him.

            Vivi smiled to himself. He often wasn't very sure of his powers because he still had trouble controlling the more powerful spells. He knew that with practice he would eventually get the hang of it, but after his grandpa had died he had stopped training so much.

            The lift stopped at the upper levels and they scrambled out, making their way for the throne room. A few competitors had already entered while they had waited for Vivi downstairs. Zidane glanced over at the rat woman dressed in pink. She seemed familiar somehow.

            "Don't I know you?" he asked as he stepped forward, Vivi at his side. Dagger and Steiner waited in the back of the room since they were only going to watch the festival.

            "Why if it isn't Zidane. How long has it been since the last time I saw you around? Five years?" she replied.

            "I'm gonna take that as a yes," he said, "Your name's Freya, isn't it?"

            "And he even remembers my name," she replied sarcastically. Her face broke out in a smile, "It's nice to see you again."

            "Hey, same to you. What are you doing in Lindblum?" he asked.

            "Obviously the same thing you are. I'm participating in the Festival of the Hunt," she replied.

            "Well good luck. I'm going to win, but you can try to beat me."

            "You've sure gotten cocky," she said with a laugh. "I've done a lot of training in the five years since you've seen me."

            "Even better."

            Once of the palace guards began to walk down the line of competitors asking what they wanted if they won, cutting off the rest of their conversation. After he had completed his list another guard went down the line assigning people their starting points. Zidane would start in the theater district. That he was glad of because it was the place he knew the district well. The regent came and wished them luck and the festival began.

***

            Dagger and Steiner stood on the bridge over the business district watching the competitors begin to fight the beasts that had been released into the city. Steiner made sure that civilians didn't start to crowd the Princess, and she watched for Zidane to make his way from the theater district to the business district, where the biggest beast of all was. Many of the competitors tried to beat it, but in the end they hadn't been powerful enough and they were sadly defeated.

            As she stood on the bridge her mind wandered to the events of last night. She had gotten to spend the entire night alone with Zidane. She wasn't sure what had happened to Steiner. She thought for sure he would have eventually realized that he had left her alone with Zidane. She glanced over at him and saw with a start that his armor seemed a lot cleaner this morning than it had the night before. Zidane's comments must have stung his pride a bit if he had actually spent the night cleaning his armor. She turned away before he noticed the smile that had spread across her face.

            At that moment she caught a glimpse of Zidane battling his way toward the bridge and the monster that stood below.

***

            As he approached the enormous tusked beast, Freya jumped from one of the nearby roofs.

            "There's no way you're going to be able to defeat that thing on your own," she said.

            "I've battled worse," he said, continuing forward.

            "I've watched that thing savagely beat all the rest of the competitors. I'm serious Zidane, if you're really that intent on winning than let me help you."

            "Alright, under one condition," he replied.

            "What's that?" she asked.

            "I get the last hit so I can win."

            "Fine, I'm only here for the battles and the experience," she said.

            They shook hands and continued forward.

***

            Now was his chance. He saw that the blond man was preoccupied with the festival and that only the idiot Steiner guarded the canary. What luck! He would have his prize and the cow Queen would have her army. None on the roof noticed his sudden appearance.

***

            Zidane stuck one of his twin daggers into the beast's chest, piercing its heart. It fell to the ground defeated. He turned to Freya, "You really have improved haven't you?"

            She nodded, opening her mouth to speak when his eyes focused on something over her head. She turned and looked too.

            Dagger stood on the bridge, clapping happily at their performance at defeating the monster. Steiner stood beside her, keeping the cheering crowd at a certain distance, not paying attention to the man who stood behind her.

            Zidane didn't know who the man was, but he seemed familiar. There was an aura of power and danger around him. Without warning he grabbed Dagger from behind and pulled her backwards.

            "Dagger!" he cried, springing up the bridge, hoping that he wasn't too late.


	14. Ware the Silver Haired Man

IMPORTANT A/N PLEASE READ!!!~ Before we get to the chapter I want everyone to know that from this point on the story's gonna take a little break from the course of the game. I'm warning you now so you don't get pissed off and decide to flame me. I said in the beginning that things were going to be edited Basically I got pissed of at the world and decided that some very bad things should happen to the characters now. Okay, some people may not like the turn of events this takes because there is going to be some highly mature material in here. So you've been warned of that too. And lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed me thus far. When I first started it I had no idea everyone would like it so much. So thank you for being so great. And here's the moment you've all been waiting for so patiently lol.  
  
'Ware The Silver Haired Man  
  
Dagger gave a muffled gasp as strong arms grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and pulling her backwards. She kicked back instinctively, but missed and only caused the arms to squeeze tighter. She cried out Steiner, but it was muffled by the hand covering her mouth and quickly lost in the wild cheering of the surrounding crowd. Even Steiner, who had made it very clear that morning that he did not like Zidane, had given way to the excitement of the festival.  
"Be still, my canary. I come only to bring you home to your love," a familiar voice sounded from behind her. Instantly she relaxed in his arms and turned her head to catch a glimpse of her captor. The sunlight glinted on his silver hair and Dagger realized that it was Kuja who held her against him.  
As if he sensed her loss of resistance, Kuja dropped his arms and allowed her to turn and face him.  
"Kuja..." she said breathlessly, her heart thundering in her ears. She realized that it was not from fear, but from a confusing rush of emotions such as those she had felt in the hedge maze and on the parapets. The emotions she felt toward Kuja were similar to what she felt for Zidane.  
"Will you come home with me? Will you stay and be my wife?" Kuja asked, gazing deeply into his eyes. He held out his hand in a silent offer.  
For a long moment Dagger just stood there looking into his icy blue eyes before placing her hand in his. He smiled triumphantly as his hand closed over hers then turned and began to lead her away.  
They didn't get far however when a sudden commotion broke out from where they had been standing only a moment before.  
"Dagger!" She heard Zidane call after her. She turned, her hand slipping from Kuja's grasp. Zidane was pushing through the crowd towards them, concern written in his eyes. His twin daggers tightly gripped in his hands.  
"Zidane," she sighed, "it's okay. Kuja's just come to bring me home."  
Zidane's eyes flew to Kuja and narrowed in suspicion. "I thought you didn't want to go home," he said, his eye not leaving Kuja.  
Kuja was standing behind Dagger, his face mirroring his cocky attitude. The man had an aura of arrogance around him that made it impossible for Zidane to like him.  
"The princess belongs with me in Alexandria. She doesn't need to go wandering all over the Mist Continent with the likes of you. Now come, Garnet," Kuja said coldly, dismissing Zidane with a piercing glare before turning his gaze back to Dagger and holding out his hand.  
Zidane knew then that he would never let Dagger fall into Kuja's clutches. The man emanated more evil than he did arrogance, "Don't do it, Dagger. Don't let him take away your dream."  
"My...dream...?" Dagger asked softly, looking from Kuja to Zidane indecisively. It was as if her feet had sank into the cobblestones making it impossible for her to move and there were two voices screaming different things to her. She didn't know which to follow.  
"Come, Garnet. It's time to go home," Kuja said again, more firmly this time.  
"Home..." she whispered to herself.  
"Dagger..." Zidane said, the sound of his voice breaking her trance. She ran to Zidane and fell into his arms.  
"I don't want to go home!" she cried, holding him as tightly against her as she could and he pulled her protectively to him, "I want to stay with Zidane."  
Kuja's demeanor turned from cocky to barely contained rage, "Fine! Go with him, you'll be returning to Alexandria soon enough. But remember this, Garnet. You are mine, mine to do with as I please. Anger me like you just did and I will have retribution."  
With that said he was enveloped in a burst of blinding light that exploded outwards and burned all it touched. Screams echoed through the marketplace and the joy of the festivities vanished as quickly as Kuja. Zidane fared the worst of all as he had turned only just in time to shield Dagger with his body. Dagger felt him tense within the circle of her arms and then go limp, saw his mouth open in a silent scream. She was the only thing holding him up and she had to lower him to the ground, lest she drop him.  
As she lowered him to the ground and knelt beside him she got a good look at his back. His clothes were almost completely burned off, taking most of his skin with it. He had blacked out and for that she was thankful. She could feel the tears burning in her eyes as the guilt built inside her. This had happened because of her. Yet another thing to add to the list of events that had been caused by her. She was too panicked and upset to even think of using her white magic to help him right now.  
"Princess!" Steiner's familiar braying voice cried over the screams from the crowd. As he approached she could hear the loud clanking of his armor, but she didn't look up from Zidane.  
Steiner looked down at her and saw the mess of Zidane she held in her arms, "Oh, gods..."  
"Steiner.." she said, finally looking up at him. Tears streamed from her chestnut eyes and ran down her pale face, "we have to help him. Please... He saved me. This happened because of me."  
"Hush now, Princess. We have to get him to the palace. We can discuss this there," Steiner said, leaning down and lifting Zidane from her lap, "This not your fault."  
Dagger stood and followed Steiner, who managed to keep a fast pace despite the fact that he carried Zidane's dead weight in his arms. He bellowed for people to move out of their way, and the people of Lindblum and those who had traveled there for the festival despite their own injuries, hastily moved out of their way upon seeing the extent of Zidane's injuries.  
Oh, gods, please... please let him be okay! Dagger's mind screamed as they made their way to the palace. If she lost him...  
  
***  
  
Kuja angrily paced the Princess' room. Damn him! he thought. Who was that blonde haired man who had the princess so enamored? Why did he look so familiar?  
Kuja sent out a thin tendril of power and just barely touched the Princess' mind. The distress and pain that he felt there caused him to jerk back momentarily before he gained enough control of his surprise to strengthen it, intrigued at what he felt.  
Please gods! Don't let him die! Her mind voice screamed at the heavens and Kuja, surprised at the depth of her fear let go. Something must have happened when he vanished. He must have been in such a rage that he had let his power fly out of control. But if it caused this blonde haired man to die it was no problem.  
As for the Princess... Kuja let his laughter echo around the chamber. She had gotten off much to easy. Yes... he was going to have to teach her a lesson... But first, let's see how she'd like not being able to help her lover.  
  
***  
  
Steiner gently laid Zidane down on the bed so that his back was exposed. Dagger went over to the side of the bed and sat down next to him, the tears burning in her eyes once more as she reached out to him, remembering the time they had spent on this very bed the night before.  
"Princess! Your hands!" Steiner exclaimed, noticing for the first time the burns on the back of her hands and forearms.  
She glanced down absently at them before turning her attention back to Zidane. "It doesn't matter, where's the doctor?"  
"He's coming, highness," one of the guard's who had followed them into the room said worriedly, glancing at the door.  
"Zidane can't wait that long! He needs help now!" she said, placing her hands on Zidane's back and summoning the power she had called upon at the scene of the airship crash. It seemed like that had happened so long ago. Her hands glowed white momentarily before the light faded.  
"What...?" she trailed off, lifting her hands in front of her face and looking at them as if she would find the answer there. She placed her hands on his back again and tried once more to summon the white magic she had been given at birth. Again her hands glowed momentarily white before the light faded.  
'You poor, poor dear. Can't even help your lover? What will he think of you now?' A familiar voice whispered across her mind.  
"Kuja... You bastard!! How could you? How could you hurt all those innocent people??" she cried into thin air, receiving no response. He was blocking her power somehow. She knew it.  
Just then the door opened and a small, stout man entered, holding a large black bag in one hand and pushing his glasses distractedly back up his nose with the other, "Where is the patient?"  
"Doctor Tot!" Dagger cried, momentarily forgetting her anger at the sight of her childhood tutor.  
"Princess Garnet! No one told me you were in Lindblum. How are you?" he asked, walking over to her, a smile bright on his face.  
"We can talk later. You have to help Zidane. He suffered some really bad burns. Please..." Dagger said, tears filling her eyes again. Would she ever have the chance to stop crying and just be happy with the events life threw her way?  
The burns on Zidane's back didn't look nearly as bad in the dim light of the room as they did out in the harsh sunlight. Doctor Tot took several long moments examining them before shaking his head, "He has some pretty severe burns, Princess. I can try and ease the pain caused by them, but other than that he's going to have to heal on his own."  
Dagger nodded and watched as Doctor Tot opened his bag and pulled out several different herbs and a flask of water. He took several moments to measure out large amounts of the herbs and then mix them with some water to make a thick mixture, to which he added several different liquids from brightly colored bottles that he pulled from his bag. He then spread the salve gently over Zidane's back and covered it with white cloth bandages from his bag.  
"Princess, I'm going to make up more of this salve later today. His wounds are going to have to be washed, more salve placed on his back, and his bandages changed several times a day..." Doctor Tot said.  
"I'll do it." she said, feeling as though she had to help Zidane in some way atone for this.  
Doctor Tot smiled and nodded, "I figured as much. Now, may I tend to your hands?"  
Dagger held out her hands and shuddered as he spread the cold, thick salve over the burns on her hands and arms, then bandaged them. Once he was done she hugged him, thanking him politely for all that he had done in the past several minutes.  
"I must go and tend to the wounds of the people in town. When I come back though, why don't we have a chat?" he asked, looking her deep in the eye.  
"Yes, that would be wonderful," she replied honestly, having not seen the Doctor in several years. She had grown quite fond of him while he was her tutor. He was skilled in many areas of science, culture, and history. She had greatly enjoyed his tutoring sessions as she had been growing up.  
"Wonderful! I shall see you then," he said, packing up his bag and leaving, everyone else in the room following him out the door.  
Garnet remained on the edge of the bed, her gaze turned back to Zidane. Very slowly and with infinate care she laid out on the bed beside him, careful not to touch his burns. She entwined her fingers with his and after many hours of laying awake thinking, fell asleep beside him.  
  
A/N~ I want to apologize to everyone for how long it took me to get this chapter up. It was a pain in the butt to write, but it's here now and the next one is soon to follow, so keep checking. I hope I didn't lose anyone with the length of time between this chapter and the last one. But thanks for everyone's patience! I know it wasn't easy! ^^ 


	15. A Time to Heal, A Time to Dream

A/N~ Okay, I haven't exactly gotten to the chapter that I know is gonna offend some people and piss others off because there is some highly mature content in it. However, I will put an author's note on the top with a warning. So just be wary, okay?  
  
A Time to Heal  
  
Dagger was awakened by a gently hand rubbing her breast. Her eyes flew open and focused on Zidane's deep blue eyes lit with a devilish grin.  
"Zidane!" she cried happily, wanting desperately to throw her arms around him and never let him go but remembering his burns just in time.  
"Hey sexy," he said and if possible his grin got even wider, "if you'll notice, we have the room to ourselves..."  
Dagger laughed, "Well, unfortunately we can't do anything like you're referring to while you're in such a condition."  
"What about my other condition?" he asked, rolling carefully onto his side and pressing his body against hers so that she could feel the bulge of his erection.  
Dagger rolled out of bed and stood, choosing not to reply lest she give the wrong answer, and arranged her dress so that it clung to her body seductively, "I have to change your bandages."  
"Can we at least take a bath together?" Zidane asked desperately.  
Dagger laughed, turning back to face him, "How about this? When you heal, I'll give you the best night of your life, okay?" she was glad that he could go through such an experience and keep his happy, if horny, demeanor.  
"It's too late for that. The best night of my life was the night I met you..." he said, the honesty in his expression bringing tears to her eyes. She turned and walked away before he notices, too afraid to answer because she didn't know what to say.  
She opened the door and asked Steiner to find a servant to fill the tub with water, then closed the door and went back to sit on the edge of the bed next to Zidane.  
"I'm sorry..." she said, finally letting the tears fall.  
"For what?" Zidane asked, his concern evident in his face.  
"For this. For everything. I know you're going to say that it's not my fault, but it is. If I had gone with Kuja then you would never have gotten hurt," she said.  
Zidane moved as if he was going to sit up but she placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, "Look Dagger, you can't put the blame of the world on yourself. It doesn't work that way. You deserve to be able to see the world before you settle down and rule Alexandria. The life experience you gain from it will benefit your people. So, we've had a few bumps along the way. You can't blame yourself for that."  
Dagger smiled, "I suppose you're right."  
"Have you ever known me to be wrong?" he asked with a smile, lifting a hand to brush the tears off of her cheeks. "Besides, if you had went with Kuja, I would have had to search every part of the world to get you back. I love you."  
"I love you too," she said, excitement rushing through her. She leaned down and kissed him, putting every bit of emotion she could into it, and he put every bit of passion into it as he kissed her back. She knew at that moment that she would never be able to leave him.  
There was a knock on the door and a servant entered warily. Zidane and Dagger quickly broke apart and the servant blushed, apologizing profusely for disturbing them and bowing deeply, to which they replied that it was quite alright. He quickly walked into the bath room and began to fill the tub.  
"You have to roll onto your stomach now so I can remove your bandages," Dagger told Zidane.  
"What do I get out of this?" he asked teasingly, and Dagger blushed.  
"Just do it, or you'll never get anything again," she whispered. Zidane rolled onto his stomach and tried to keep himself from crying out as she took the bandages off. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't help pulling off some of the charred skin on his back. Every time she heard him draw in a sharp breath she apologized, feeling the tears spring into her eyes. She couldn't stop the sudden surge of guilt.  
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Zidane said in a pain filled voice, as if he could read her thoughts.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Dagger said as she pulled off the last bandage. Underneath his skin looked worse than it had that morning, most likely because when she pulled off his bandages she had irritated his skin. Before she could say anything about it the servant came back out of the bathroom and told her that the bath was ready.  
"Thank you," she said, "Would you mind checking to see if Doctor Tot has finished with the salve for Zidane's burns and if he has bring it here?"  
The servant bowed low, smiling, "Of course not, your highness."  
The man left and Dagger helped Zidane to his feet, "Ready for your bath?"  
  
* * *  
  
Kuja stood on the parapet where he had first begun his attempts to enrapture the Princess. He had been so close so many times. But each time she had managed to get away from him. Not this time. This time he had things all figured out. She would be his. He could feel it.  
But what to do about the blonde haired man? And the other little problem that the Princess seemed to have gotten herself into?  
Suddenly he jerked his head in the direction of Lindblum. He could sense something... but he wasn't sure what it was... He reached out with a tendril of power and touched the Princess' mind once more.  
  
* * *  
  
"Gods! It's cold!" Zidane cried as he sank into the enormous bathtub.  
"Well, hot water wouldn't be good for your burns," she said, "it would just serve to irritate them more."  
"Yeah, well the least you could have done was warned me about it," Zidane said, a devilish grin coming across his face. Dagger knew that look.  
"What?"  
"Now you have to make it up to me," he replied.  
"And how am I supposed to do that?" she asked suspiciously.  
"Like this!" he cried, pulling her into the tub with him so suddenly she couldn't react. She shrieked as the cold water splashed over her, soaking her and making her shiver. "Zidane!"  
"What's the matter, Princess? Scared of a little cold water?" he teased.  
"No! What about your burns? You shouldn't be fooling around like that, you might hurt yourself," she said in concern.  
"I'm fine, for the most part," he said, looking down momentarily before turning his gaze back to her. She looked down and saw that his manhood was erect.  
"Zidane..." she started, but drifted off as he started to pull off her wet clothing.  
"It's okay," he said in between the small, gentle kisses he was planting on her neck, "We'll be careful."  
Before she could reply he had pulled her closer and slowly began to slide into her. She couldn't help but moan softly at the sudden wave of pleasure that went through her.  
  
* * *  
  
Kuja growled viciously as he realized what was going on. How could she let that blonde haired man-whore seduce her so easily? He had thought that he had her wrapped around his finger, that she only lusted after him. But every time she and that blonde man were alone they took the opportunity to shove it in his face.  
But he... he was not one to give in so easily. No. Garnet would pay for this in due time. But first. First he would torture her.  
He couldn't hold back a laugh, and as he laughed, it echoed off the walls and sent chills down the people of Alexandria's spines.  
  
* * *  
  
One finally thrust had them both gasping and moaning as they climaxed. She could feel his seed flooding into her and all at once she felt dirty. What was she thinking? She stood up, grabbed her clothes and rushed out of the bathroom.  
Zidane sat in the tub, shivering in the sudden cold, "What did I do?"  
Garnet tossed her clothes aside and reached for one of the oversize shirts that she'd been using as nightgowns. As an afterthought she also grabbed a pair of loose pants and tied them tight around her waist. Then she bolted from the bedchamber, slamming the door behind her.  
She ran past Steiner, who seeing the expression on her face realized she didn't want him to follow her, and up the stairs to the roof, where a giant telescope stood. She stood there, hands on the stone wall, staring in the direction of Alexandria.  
Perhaps it would be best if she went back. Kuja was waiting for her. She should go back to him... Besides, she'd caused enough death, gained enough life experience. And that was what she wanted, wasn't it? Life experience. She sighed, losing herself in her thoughts.  
She wasn't sure how long she stood there, but she eventually realized how late it was getting. She sighed once more and went back down into the room she was sharing with Zidane. He was already asleep, someone must have applied the salve and rebandaged his burns. At the moment she didn't really care, she was too exhausted and involved in her own problems to worry about him. She carefully climbed into bed next to him and fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
She could see him, walking closer and closer. A part of her yearned for him and yet another part of her trembled in fear. She wanted him... she needed him... but she feared him all the same.  
Then, before he could reach her, the world shifted around her. She fell backwards, never hitting the ground but instead falling and falling for what seemed for an eternity and as she fell she screamed. The scream echoed all around her, instead eventually fading away it became louder and louder until she thought her ears would burst....  
And then her fall ended. She landed hard in the bottom of a boat. The force of her impact caused the boat to rock crazily and she was splashed with freezing salt water. She scrambled into a sitting position and looked around her, wondering where she was and how she had gotten here. In the distance she saw land, but something was wrong. It was on fire! Faint screaming reached her and she knew that people were getting hurt. She wanted to help them. She had to! As she reached for the oars, however, to turn the boat around and head for shore she realized for the first time that she was not the only one in the boat. A cloaked figure was watching her from the stern. The figure's face was hidden by the hood.  
"My, poor, beautiful daughter. You want to help those innocent people, don't you?" came a soft, melodious voice from under the hood.  
"Yes..." Dagger replied, unsure of what to make of the figure.  
"You cannot save them, my dear. They are going to die," the figure said as though this fact didn't bother it in the least.  
"Why? Why can't I save them?" Dagger cried, feeling the tears form in her eyes. No one deserved to die the death they would have.  
"Hush now. Watch," The figure said, extending a hand in the direction of the fire.  
A giant red eye appeared in the sky above the village. "No!" Dagger cried. She had seen this. She had seen it somewhere long ago and since then it had haunted her dreams. Her people! Her family!  
A great red light came from the eye, enveloping the village, which then exploded into a giant fireball that shot toward the sky. The eye vanished and she could hear laughter coming from behind her. She turned and saw that the cloaked figure who's boat she had landed in was laughing maliciously. Tears fell down her face as she felt the passing of so many souls.  
"You think this is funny!?" Dagger cried.  
"I find it quite amusing, yes," said the figure.  
"Countless people just died and you find it amusing!!?" Dagger shrieked at him, losing control of her temper, "How can you sit there and laugh??"  
"Oh calm down, girl. This all happened many years ago. It's nothing to get worked up over, besides, you have more to see tonight," the figure said. Before she could ask what he meant by that, the bottom of the boat disappeared beneath her and she was falling again. 


	16. Illusions

A/N~ I don't have much to say except for some people, no names will be mentioned, need to remember there is a reason for everything in this fic. Garnet feels dirty for a reason. I thought that I made it kinda obvious.... *cough Kuja* but... Anyways, thanks for the reviews, I love you all. And Amis... this for you. Cuz you keep bugging me about it. lol  
  
Illusions  
  
Garnet moaned and rolled over. Zidane opened his eyes and watched her sleep, wondering...  
  
* * *  
  
Kuja sat on the railing of the parapet, watching the princess' dreams unfold through his mind's eye, a grin spread across his face. This was working out better than he thought it would. Soon she would be completely in his power. In the mean time, she would be his source of entertainment.  
  
* * *  
Dagger was falling for an eternity, it seemed. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she stopped screaming, her throat raw. Then the cloaked figure she had spoken to in the boat... hours?... days?... before was before her.  
"Princess..." the figure said. Despite the rushing winds for their plunge it's cloak remained infuriatingly in place. Who was the man who spoke to her? Would she ever know?  
"Who are you?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.  
"That will be revealed in time. At the moment, I have something far more important to show you. Something that will change your life. This is what the future holds for you," the figure said, moving it's arm in a graceful sweep.  
That was the last thing Dagger saw.  
  
* * *  
  
She awoke to find Zidane holding her in the room that Regent Cid had given them for the duration of their visit. Nothing had changed since she had fallen asleep, with the exception of the time. She remembered dreaming.... Dreaming of something so much more horrible than the explosion of the island and that evil red eye. But she couldn't remember exactly just what that was... She couldn't remember any of it. All she knew was that it hurt to move. As if what had happened in the dream had followed her into the waking world. She shifted uncomfortably and cried out in pain.  
"What–?" Zidane asked sleepily, opening an eye. Then both his eyes shot open and he stared at Garnet in shock.  
"What?" she asked.  
Zidane didn't reply, instead he got out of bed and walked over to the door. He disappeared for several long moments and then the door burst open, Steiner rushing in with Zidane right behind him.  
"What the hell happened?" Steiner bellowed.  
"I'm not really sure. You saw her only moments ago. All the sudden these just appeared," Zidane told him.  
They were both staring at her with expressions of mixed shock and concern.  
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Dagger exclaimed, "Why are you looking at me like that?"  
"You look like hell, Dagger," Zidane said, walking over to where a gilded mirror hung on the wall.  
"Thanks..." she snapped, "you know, you don't look all that great when you get up in the morning either, so why are you making such a big deal over me."  
She sighed in frustration, she wasn't in the mood to put up with this. A strange mixture of anxiety and... fear... had followed her from her dreams and she wanted some solitude to analyze it.  
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about this," he said, bringing the mirror over and moving it so that she was reflected in the glass. What she saw made her close her eyes in disbelief. No... it wasn't possible. She hadn't looked like that when she had gone to sleep just a few precious hours ago. Scratches with lines of dried blood covered her face and what she could see of her chest. Bruises spotted her arms, and most likely her legs and torso from the feel of it. What appeared to be rope burns were on her wrists, ankles, and around her neck.  
"Oh gods..." she said, sickened, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. What was going on??  
Then the sound of shattering glass made her eyes fly open again. Zidane had dropped the mirror. Now both he and Steiner were staring at her in horror. She hesitated, not really sure if she wanted to know, then decided to ask, "...what?"  
"They're... gone..." Steiner whispered.  
Dagger looked down at her hands. The rope burns around her wrists were gone, as were the bruises and scratches. She quickly felt and searched ever part of her body she could, only to find the same thing. She had miraculously healed of the mysterious injuries.  
"What the hell is going on around here?" Zidane muttered under his breath.  
  
* * *  
Kuja stopped his pacing and looked out the window. He stretched out a tendril of power to once more to touch the princess' mind. From the confusion he felt, he knew that she had found the little surprise he had left for her. He couldn't help but laugh. The night before had been so... satisfying. Too bad it had only been a dream.  
At that moment the door to his chambers burst open. Queen Brahne entered, obviously oblivious to the fact that not only was it rude to enter his chambers without his permission (despite her rank as Queen of Alexandria), but also that it was not her place to command him, which she immediately began to do as soon as she set foot into the room.  
"Where is my daughter!? You were to bring her back with you, and yet she's still missing!" Queen Brahne shouted, her eyes narrowed into angry slits.  
"You know better than to question me, Brahne," Kuja said, his voice containing a dangerous edge.  
"Kuja, from what I've learned the past couple of weeks, you are a lot of talk," she replied, beginning to strut imperiously around the room despite her humongous girth. "If you were half the man you claim you are, Garnet never would have run from the wedding. You know how important she is to our plans. And yet you let her get away."  
Kuja laughed, "Our plans? Since when do we have plans?"  
Brahne turned on him, giving him a venomous look. "From the very beginning. When I let you enter my palace with your... disgusting wardrobe choices and your arrogant manner that sealed the bargain."  
Kuja hid a smile by turning his head slightly away from her. She was so... vain. And irritating. It was a shame that he could not just kill her now and be done with it, but he had a feeling that she could still be of some use to him. However... there was still something that could be done about her manners.  
"My dear, dear Queen Brahne..." he said, something in his tone must have made her weary because she suddenly took a defensive stance. He began to walk slowly toward her, "I had no idea that you felt so strongly about this. Your daughter must mean an awful lot to you if you could just hand her over to me the way you did..."  
"But—!" she started, but he cut her off.  
"You are forgetting that Garnet belongs to me now. She is none of your concern. What should concern you is want is going to happen once I have succeeded in my plans. You're quite lucky that I don't kill you now..."  
By this time he had reached her and placed a hand on her arm. Queen Brahne laughed nervously, "You can't be serious..."  
"Oh, I'm quite serious, my dear. Fortunately for you I still have need of your services. If you do exactly what I say, then perhaps I shall let you live for a while longer than I would otherwise," His grip on her arm tightened and his eyes darkened into a steely gray, "Anger me, and I have ways worse than death to subdue you until I no longer have need of you. Do we have an understanding?"  
Brahne gave a small nod to show that she understood and he released her none to gently. "Now... get out of my chambers." 


	17. The Sacrifice

A/N I know I know kept you all waiting so very long for an update. I've been going through some shit in my life, n now I finally got the time to give you an update. Unless my boyfriend decides to come home and distract me. So I'm gonna try and type very, very fast. I had a really hard time trying to figure out exactly how I wanted this chapter to go, because it's a very important turning point in the story. We're going to be adding some plot twists and maybe a few new characters too while I'm at it. So let's get too it, shall we?

_The Sacrifice_

(The funny thing I was once again partially into it and I once again changed how it's going to go. Course then my computer froze and I had to start over. I'm having great luck with this chap... can't ya'll tell??)

Ruby made her way slowly through the crowded streets of Lindblum's Business District, keeping her eyes open for her friends. All she could do was hope that they had made it this far.

It had taken her forever to get out of Alexandria. After the Knights of Pluto's Captain Steiner had witnessed the Princess flinging herself from the cliff on whichAlexandria stood security had somewhat relaxed about the city, however there was still the matter of Alexandria Castle's female guards. Apparently Captain Aldebert Steiner didn't have much standing with Queen Brahne and she hadn't really taken his report all that seriously when he had returned from searching the lake at the bottom of the cliff without even a trace of the Princess or her two companions.

Finally Ruby had made it out of Alexandria aboard an Airship owned and piloted by one of her cousins. She had convinced her cousin to take her to Lindblum, but to first make a stop near Evil Forest so that she could examine the wreckage of Tantalus' Airship. It hadn't given her much hope. Who could have survived such a horrible crash? She had found only one grave and it had chilled her to the bone. Who's remains lay beneath the ground? Was it Blank? Oh Gods... She would not be able to bare it.

She had reached Lindblum the night before. The town was alive with rumors of the Alexandrian Princess being at the palace. Finally she had a glimpse at some hope. Blank had been with the Princess. If she had made it, then surely he had too. She took out a room at the Inn and had slept better that night than she had in ages. She dreamed of holding her beloved Blank in her arms again. Oh please Gods... Let her have this one wish...

When she had gone to Tantalus' hideout, however, it had been empty. Asking around she had found out that some of the members of Tantalus had been spotted at various locations around town, so she began her search anew. Somehow she had a feeling that she would find them at Pop's Diner. That was Zidane's favorite hangout and it had rubbed off on the other guys. What was better to a man than good food and beautiful waitresses?

As she entered, the aroma of beef stew hit her hard and made her mouth water. She decided that even if the guys weren't here this wouldn't be a wasted trip. She had been in such a hurry to find Blank, Marcus, Cinna, and Baku that she had forgotten about breakfast.

Glancing about the diner she felt her heart sink as she saw no one she recognized. She sighed and went over to the counter to place her order. It was early yet, they were bound to show up sooner or later. For now she would enjoy the food the way the men about her seemed to be enjoying the waitresses.

----

Kuja sat back, exhausted from his efforts. Despite his powerful magic, all he had managed to do was give her vague images... mere traces of what he could do if the link between them were stronger. If only she had given her maidenhood to him instead of to that blonde haired fool. Ah well... perhaps there was a way to get another... _stronger_... link. But for that he needed blood. Or better yet... a girl who shared a blood link with Princess Garnet.

The thought may have been nothing more than just the tired wanderings of his mind. But as he dwelled on it, a plan began to form. A real plan. He knew the truth of the princess' heritage even if she did not. Her birth mother had died nearly eleven years ago. Along with a majority of the princess' people. But when he had briefly merged with her mind and spirit, he had felt another...

----

Mayleena walked slowly through the forest paths, stopping every so often to study the herbs along the way. She was on her way to Lindblum, her chocobo Cassandra following her closely. She had found Cassandra many years ago as nothing more than an egg and had nurtured it until it had hatched. They had been pretty much inseparable ever since.

The sun shone brightly this day and she lifted her face up to capture the warm rays. There was a hint of rain in the southerly wind that played with her long chestnut hair. Her green eyes sparkled as she thought about it. She loved the rains of summer. They always cleared away the mist for a few precious moments. She hated the mist. It had been the spawn of the mist that had taken her mother from her about six years ago. She had been on her own ever since. Well... until she had found that man... He had yet to wake up however.

She had woken one morning and found that Cassandra was missing. After hours of frantic searching with no luck she had returned home to find her chocobo standing anxiously by the small wooden house her father had built before she was born. Beside her was a man, lying broken and bleeding upon the ground. She was surprised he still lived. She now traveled to Lindblum in hopes of finding a Doctor for him. She had learned much from her mother, but she feared that he had a head wound that she could do nothing for. All his external wounds had been healed. But the white magic that she had inherited from her father was not strong enough for the kind of injuries he might have.

She had heard the last time she had made a trip to Lindblum that the famous Doctor Tot would be coming. He was bound to be there by now. She knew that he would help her. She had known Doctor Tot all her life. Her mother had taken her to him when she had grown very ill as a child. If worse came to worse all she had to do was let him finally examine the jewel that her father had given to her before she was born. It was the only thing that she had besides the house to let her know that she did have a father. He had left her mother before she was even born. He had left the jewel for her and warned her mother to never let it fall into someone else's hands. She had no idea why it was so special to him... but it was special to her because it was the only gift she had from him. She wore it on a silver chain around her neck and never took it off. The jewel was small, no bigger than a marble. But she loved it more than anything in the world.

When Doctor Tot had first seen the jewel he had been ecstatic. He said it reminded him of the jewels he had seen in Alexandria Palace. He had wanted to examine them, but Mayleena's mother had refused to let him. The warning of her lover still remained with her. She could sense a power dwelling within the jewel. A power similar to what she had felt dwelling inside Mayleena's father. A power so great it made her tremble.

Finally she reached Lindblum. She talked to one of the guards at the entrance and found out that today Doctor Tot was at the church's library. She smiled and made her way anxiously through the business district.

----

He hid in the shadows of an alleyway, watching as she made her way through the crowded streets. He knew it was her that he sought. He could sense the aura around her. She would soon be his to control. His puppet... His sacrifice....

----

Ruby was just finishing her stew when Marcus and Cinna walked into the Diner. She cried out excitedly and had her arms wrapped tightly around both of them before they had any idea what was going on. When she finally let go and backed up they both stared at her in astonishment.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Marcus asked, exchanging a brief look with Cinna that she didn't notice.

"I've been lookin' for ya'll all day," she said, "I saw the airship go down when we ya'll left Alexandria n I was worried 'bout ya'll."

Neither of them said anything. Both knew that sooner or later it would be time to tell Ruby the truth about Blank. But right now didn't seem the right moment. "Where's everyone else?" she asked.

"Zidane's with Garnet at the palace," Cinna said, "In fact, we were just on our way there, weren't we, Marcus?"

Marcus looked at Cinna, "We uh— yeah, we were. He's expecting us. I'm sure he'd be glad to see you Ruby, why don't you come along?"

"Alrighty, let's go," she said. Zidane was Blank's best friend. Maybe Blank was with him. It made sense. The two were practically inseparable growing up.

As they made their way out and began to head toward the Palace, a commotion down the street made them stop. A chocobo suddenly started screeching high pitch kweh's. Everyone's attention was on the chocobo, and only Ruby caught a brief glimpse of the man who held a young woman with chestnut hair against him and then vanished into thin air.

That man.... she knew him. Images of a burning airship filled her mind. Fire and death.... Her breath came in jagged gasps as premonition hit her. The world faded around her and she fainted.

A/N And there it is. The new chapter of Conflicting Desires. This is a big spinoff of the way I originally planned this fic, but somehow it just fits. I actually did something I didn't plan on doing. I wasn't going to add an O.C. that had a decent size part in the fic., especially not one that I envision as myself, because personally, and no offense to those that have done this, I've read many fics that have done this and have tried to follow the game somewhat... and all they've managed to do is butcher it. I think I've butchered the game enough, but since ya'll seem to like it what the hell. I'm writing it for you guys anyway. The only thing I'm getting out of it is writing experience. Which I very badly need. :/ anyway.. So... I'm not going to go too deep into an analysis of why I think I butchered the game n everything. It's pretty obvious. In the game... Garnet's prude. In my story... I wouldn't exactly call her a slut, but she's definitely promiscuous. Ah well. What's life without lemons? Haha... sorry, bad pun. I'm gonna go now. Another update soon we hope. My head's buzzing with ideas, but my body is exhausted. It's not easy being six and a half months pregnant.


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